


All-consuming You

by thori_treads



Category: Keyakizaka46 (Band), Sakurazaka46 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 42,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23681755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thori_treads/pseuds/thori_treads
Summary: Moriya Akane doesn't like distractions. Then, Sugai Yuuka transferred to their school, and became Akane's biggest one.
Relationships: Moriya Akane/Sugai Yuuka
Comments: 14
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to utilize the use of honorifics in this story, and the familiarity between the characters when none is used. Same when surnames or given/nicknames are used.
> 
> All mistakes are mine. Enjoy reading!

**Prologue:**

It was easy for Moriya Akane. She was fully self-aware, that she was smart, smart enough to be included in their 1st year of high school's overall top 15 ranking. She was able to rank even while being the ace of the school tennis club.

It was also easy for her to notice things. She was observant, and people around her trusted in her judgement and how well she could deliver when asked. And she took pride and confidence in that.

But somehow, on that first day of the following school year, first semester, Akane didn't foresee how her life would change, ever since...

"My name is Sugai Yuuka. I just moved here from Tokyo. It's nice to meet all of you."

  
**Chapter I:**

  
"And now, Yuuka's father is a crime boss?" Habu Mizuho said, browsing further down on some anonymous school thread on her phone. The expression on her small face was getting more incredulous by the second.

"It will go away in a week." Koike Minami sighed, a little impatiently. "Along with that news about her being dropped off in front of the school by her chauffeur in a Bentley."

"That one happened, though," Habu reminded her friend. "She didn't do that again."

Akane tried to tune out Habu and Koike's conversation, but the whole school's fascination over the new transfer student hadn't faded even after almost three months... No matter how much she tried to rise above the general gossiping and idle musings kids her age seemed to be trapped in.

She had a Biology exam to study for, and tennis practice that afternoon to look forward to, and her two _classmates_ wouldn't shut up.

Akane kinda expected Habu to not shut up about it, as the tall girl mentioned something about a small group of trolls that kept bringing up new gossip, sometimes true, sometimes just plain ridiculous, about the transfer student. Habu was the first one to befriend Sugai Yuuka, after all. Habu, and her optimism and somewhat naive view about friendship and life.

But from Koike? When her _classmate_ would stare down and scare away anyone who stood too close to Habu. As if her short height could do damage to potential admirers of 'her Habu-chan.'

"Don't worry about her, Habu-chan." Koike patted the tall girl's forearm. "Sugai doesn't read around the internet, anyway."

Akane hoped so. Anyone shouldn't be distracted by trivial things. And she really needed the order and quiet in her school to come back. She shouldn't even be thinking about Sugai...

She looked up from her notes, and turned to Habu and Koike. "Seriously, why are you around my desk again?"

With a dismissive wave of a hand, Koike said, "Because we are your only friends."

Akane opened her mouth to--

"Don't you deny it, and don't say we're just your 'classmates' in your head." Koike narrowed her eyes at her. "And you've been over at my house too many times since middle school for us to count as 'only neighbors' too."

Akane pursed her lips tight, and breathed out through her nose. She couldn't deny it. She had known Koike Minami and her family ever since they moved in next to the Moriya estate. They were just eight back then. 

Habu grinned in amusement beside her. Her phone, turned face down on the desk, finally ignored.

"And you can't keep having that excuse of coming over only because of my mother's yakisoba--"

"But your mother's yakisoba is the best."

"Our other neighbor is a retired chef, and I don't see you coming over for food."

"Who says I haven't already been over to Takayama-san's?" Akane smirked, raising an eyebrow at Koike.

Her neighbor...classmate... _friend_ slapped her shoulder. "Don't be gross!"

Habu broke into a laugh, one which Akane couldn't not join in as well.

She turned back to her Biology notes, a poor attempt to hide her smile, thinking. _I guess they can stay a little longer..._

Habu Mizuho had already dropped the Sugai Yuuka subject completely when the girl herself came back to their classroom.  
  
Akane watched Sugai through the corner of her eye. The girl was called earlier to the faculty room to receive a call from her former teacher back in Tokyo. It had been, Akane glanced at her watch, 30minutes since then.

Habu had sat up, checking up on Sugai immediately. "How was it?"

Sugai didn't reply right away. She seemed distracted as she moved back to her seat near Koike's. "Oh, I... They were just making sure I'm doing fine at my new school."

Habu was satisfied with it, so she went on ahead, and opened up the subject about club activities. She had never stopped suggesting various clubs to Sugai who was still clubless. 

Sugai was a member of an equestrian club back at her old school since 7th grade. Schools in Miyagi didn't have that so Sugai was still on the fence about being in a new club right away, or at least as far as what Akane had gathered from conversations between Habu and Sugai.

Akane didn't really share long conversations with Sugai about anything. They didn't have that kind of relationship...friendship.

"Everything okay, Moriya-san?" Sugai suddenly asked, and even if she didn't look up from her notes, Akane was sure there was a smile on the girl's face. Sugai always did that, regard her with a smile. All polite and friendly. Akane wasn't sure yet how to deal with that, even after almost three months of Sugai doing _that_.

Akane shrugged, acknowledging the girl's question but not giving a definite answer.

Still, Sugai's reply was soft. "Good. That's good..." 

  
* * *

  
"Good afternoon, Moriya." Sugai had an open smile on her face.

Akane acknowledged Sugai a little longer. But that day, that smile seemed fake. Akane had caught the way Sugai's lips slightly twitched downwards.

"Good afternoon," she returned the greeting. She turned to her water tumbler, and had a small sip.

She had already changed into her tennis clothes, and she still had a few minutes before she needed to be at the court. Sugai usually dropped by then, that short span of time before practice.

Sugai took something from inside her shoulder bag, and placed it gently on top of Akane's duffel bag. It was a clear, gold-lined, triangular plastic case containing a slice of cheesecake. "Please, have this."

Akane hadn't seen that cake brand before. It surely wasn't local to Miyagi.

Sugai must've read her curiosity because she added, "My big sister had them sent over. She told me to share them to you, and Koike and Habu-chan also have one each, so..." 

"Thank you." Akane accepted it with a small bow. Warmth covered her chest when she caught how Sugai's cheeks reddened.

Akane looked away. She took a mouthful of water from her tumbler, and tried to ignore whatever spark she could suddenly feel in the air. She had no time for any of that.

"Are you coming with us after tennis?" Sugai asked the usual.

"No, I'm not." Her answer was almost automatic.

"But why not? It would be fun," Sugai said, taking a step closer.

Akane eyed the distance between them. Her duffel bag was the only thing keeping them apart.

"Habu's excited to try this new hamburger place, and--"

"No."

Sugai gripped the strap of her school bag tighter. Something in Sugai's eyes seemed to cloud over. Guilt suddenly twisted in Akane's stomach as she noticed that shift. 

_What does this girl want from me?_ Were they even friends when she was only associated with Sugai because of Habu and Koike? What did the girl get out of inviting her almost every day, and then constantly getting turned down in return?

Once, it was to a crepe place to which Akane replied with a flat "I don't want to." Sometimes, it would be a patient "We're practicing late. I want to go straight home after that." Last Tuesday, it was to check out a mochi stall that Sugai hadn't tried yet. Koike and Habu weren't going with them, but Sugai still asked. "I don't have time for this" was her 'harshest' no, and Sugai was silent after that. Akane was mostly curt and maybe rude at some point... Maybe there were moments that had left her feeling awful, and got to thinking that Sugai didn't deserve it.

Even after everything, Sugai would be back the following afternoon, still asking nicely.

Akane breathed out before fully turning towards the girl. Sugai had been occupying her thoughts. Sugai Yuuka was starting to become a constant presence in her life, and Akane just--

"Why?"

Sugai tilted her head to the side. Akane shouldn't find that cute, but--

She _shouldn't_.

She didn't want to continue being unsure whenever Sugai was around. "Why do you insist that I always come with you?" 

It was Sugai's turn to look away.

"I always decline. Why do you still bother asking?" Akane pressed. She had to know.

"Moriya, I..."

Akane needed to know how to deal with the uncertainty, the kindness, the gestures, everything that would happen in Akane's chest every time Sugai was around. 

But the silence from Sugai's lack of answer stretched, only making the cicadas' shrill cries around the school grounds more noticeable. Sugai had mentioned once that she disliked that sound. Akane even remembered that.

Sugai shifted on her feet. She had a frown on her face, and she seemed uncomfortable.

Akane pursed her lips together, a little disappointed that she probably would never know the answer. She also had to go out in a minute or Sugamoto, their tennis club captain, would personally come to get her with a disapproving frown on her face. It was another thing she didn't want to worry about.

"Maybe come back when you have an answer. I have practice." With sure movements, Akane covered her duffel bag and the cheesecake on top with her clean towel. While she flexed her shoulder for her warm up, she started making her way to the door. Akane was patient enough, but when it came to Sugai, she just--

"I like being around you."

Akane froze in her steps. She hadn't even walked past the other girl when that answer came, and Sugai just...

There was a soft tug on her tennis shirt, and Akane followed the point of contact between them, from the fingers that tugged the fabric of her shirt, to the smooth line of Sugai's arm, to the exposed skin of Sugai's throat, to the girl's jaw, and finally, to Sugai's eyes that were looking straight at her.

A part of Akane wanted to brush off Sugai's words, and brush away the hand that was holding on to her, but...

Sugai's expression was so open and vulnerable, Akane couldn't look away.

With a determined small frown, Sugai added, "I want to see you more, that's why I--"

"Moriya, it's time--"

Akane whipped her head towards the doorway, and out of reflex brought on by something she wasn't ready to process yet, she stepped in front of Sugai, getting in between the girl and the newcomer.

But it was only Sugamoto, their captain, who was standing still by the doorway, regarding them both. After a few seconds, Akane's _senpai_ ended whatever situation they were in. Sugamoto's captain aura was exuding as she ordered, "Moriya, three laps. Let's go." 

  
* * *

"There's also this cute cafe near the station, and I think you would like it there," Habu said, with a bright smile on her face, her short hair swaying a little as she walked alongside her.

There was something about the tall girl that easily made Yuuka comfortable. Second day at her new school, and Habu already wanted to show her around town.

Maybe it was Habu's easygoing nature... Or maybe it was how Habu almost had no walls put up around her. With a family like hers, Sugai was amazed Habu Mizuho still turned out like that.

Because that, those walls people created around themselves, she could recognize that from a mile away.

"But Mii-chan was the one who introduced me to it, so I think..." Habu trailed off, her eyebrows knitted a little in confusion.

"Yes, that would be a wise decision," Yuuka agreed to the unspoken thing Habu left out.

She didn't want that kind of drama on her first days at her new school. Koike, even with her gentle and sweet demeanor, also seemed like the type whose glares could actually freeze people to death, or at least into submission.

Habu scratched the back of her head, apologetic. They might need to go to another place after all, or maybe postpone their plans for the afternoon altogether.

Yuuka touched the dark green cotton fabric poking out of her shoulder bag. She wondered if someone had ever considered her feelings like Habu did Koike, even when she wasn't around. Someone who wasn't family. Someone who wasn't paid to care for her.

She couldn't think of anyone...

Yuuka became tired all of a sudden.

Habu stopped in her tracks, before fully facing her. Her smile was open. "She'll warm up to you, and then we can all hang out there together."

Yuuka nodded, smiling back in return. She hoped her smile was convincing.

Habu seemed pleased with her minimal reaction. "People need to see how nice you are."

_'Nice.'_

That was new.

She usually had 'poor little rich girl,' or 'lame.'

She ran her thumb over the dark green fabric repeatedly, finding comfort in the familiar as another familiar feeling, a hollowness in her chest, made itself known again. It didn't make her breathing short. She was probably getting used to it. But even Habu's gentleness didn't manage to make it go away.

"Have you texted--"

A loud _thwack_ resounded across the school grounds. Yuuka whipped her head to the direction of the sound. 

And there by the school's tennis court was a girl, who was starting to become familiar to her as well. Even if they had only been sharing a classroom for two days.

_Moriya..._

Habu waved at the girl behind the wire fence, and Moriya only nodded her head in acknowledgement before focusing back to her server.

"She's a classmate, right?" Yuuka asked. "I haven't come around to remembering everyone's names yet."

"Yep. Her name's Moriya Akane," Habu replied, already walking ahead. "You might have already seen Mii-chan talking to her a lot. They've been neighbors and friends since they were little."

Yuuka watched Moriya from afar, lagging behind for as long as she could before the distance between her and Habu could widen further.

Moriya had her hair tied back, allowing Yuuka to see the girl's focused frown, even from meters away.

_Akane..._

Yuuka had been wanting to know Moriya's first name. But she didn't have the nerve to introduce herself upfront, and know the girl more... Or see how Moriya sounded like holding a conversation. That curiousity hadn't faded since her first day yesterday.

Maybe knowing Moriya's first name was enough for the meantime, Yuuka placated herself.

That familiar feeling in her chest eased up a bit.

  
* * *

  
_"I like being around you."_

_"I want to see you more, so that's why I..."_

Sugai's words had plagued her the next few days. They resounded in her head every time Akane could hear, see, or in any way, sense the other girl. Even when she was alone, sometimes.

Practice the previous day had been a little stressful, especially when she heard a _kouhai_ scream for Sugai's attention around dismissal. Akane wondered if that _kid_ had interacted with Sugai for more than 20 hours to even vie for the girl's attention...

Not that she should care.

Sugamoto had reprimanded her under her breath when Akane was caught spacing out because of it.

And Akane wasn't like that. Ever.

She never spaced out while training. Her captain or their club adviser, Matsumoto- _sensei_ never became frustrated with her lack of focus, lack of _anything_ , and that--

_"I want to see you more..."_

She wanted clarity. She just wanted it to stop echoing in her head...

And for her heart to stop reacting so much because of it.

That was why she was half-running down the hallway that Friday noon, trying to find Sugai instead of having lunch with the rest in their classroom. Habu and Koike had said that Sugai just stepped out to buy drinks at the school canteen.

Her heart hammered with every step, jumping a bit after every turn at the hallways. There was a chance that Sugai could also be walking back along the same corridors, and there was a _foreign_ feeling of anticipation coursing through her.

But how easy that warmth could turn to ice as--

"Answer me."

"No."

It was Sugai. Even with that one syllable, Akane could already recognize her.

"Who are these for?"

"I'm under no obligation to--"

A loud clang of thin metal and liquid bursting interrupted Sugai's words, and Akane was suddenly gripped with worry.

Without thinking further, Akane turned towards the fire exit, to the source of the noise and Sugai's voice, revealing herself from around the corner.

The first thing she noticed was Sugai leaning on the wall. The girl's shoulders and jaw were tense. Her hands were tightly wrapped around a can of iced coffee. The collar of her blouse was wrinkled. Her necktie was askew.

Another can of iced coffee that had burst open was still spilling on the floor near Sugai's feet.

And there were also two other girls with Sugai. Third years. Akane didn't know their names, but they were familiar, being in the same school as them for more than a year. They were three feet away from Sugai. They were also tense, and almost bristling.

With the most even tone she could manage, Akane said, "There you are, Sugai. We've been waiting for you. You're gonna miss lunch."

She had no intention of egging on the other students. It would only escalate, and Sugai would bear the brunt of it. Their school had zero tolerance policy on bullying. But like any other schools, it was still happening under the teachers' noses. The policy, useless in most cases. She had learned her lesson a few years ago. The jeers and the taunts had followed her no matter how many admirable things she did.

None of the older girls moved. Sugai, as well, was still frozen in place.

Keeping her face expressionless, Akane approached the small group with sure strides. She reached out for Sugai's arm, and pulled her away with her. Her knees were shaking, but she kept her shoulders firm as she led Sugai back towards the other side of the building.

Her ears prickled, listening for any more movements from behind them. But none followed. Only their footfalls could be heard. Hers and Sugai's.

Akane's heart was hammering inside her chest for different reasons. Different from _before_ she found Sugai. She just wanted to keep walking.

Akane found herself taking Sugai towards a flight of stairs, towards the rooftop. Sugai was silent all throughout and just let herself be led. 

It was only when they finally reached the open space of the deserted rooftop that Akane lowered her guard down. She breathed in and out until her heart was no longer beating against her chest in bruising force.

And it was only then that she finally became fully aware of the calm and quiet of the rooftop, of the light blue of the open sky, of...of Sugai close beside her, of the soft hand she was holding, of everything... 

Apparently during their 'escape,' Akane's grip on Sugai's wrist had slid further down until she was holding Sugai's hand, secure and tight in hers. 

Akane paused and tried to gauge Sugai's reaction to the contact, if the other girl had noticed... if Sugai welcomed it...

And if Akane found herself not wanting to let go, she didn't delve deeper into the 'why' and the 'what next.' She just...

...had to let go.

With careful movements, Akane loosened her fingers, and eventually let her hand slide out of Sugai's hold and drop back onto her side.

And if Sugai's shoulders sagged, and her head lowered, Akane didn't delve deeper into it.

They just...didn't have that kind of relationship.

"Are...are you okay, Moriya?" Sugai's voice was close to a whisper, but Akane still heard her clearly. The worry was also clear in Sugai's tone.

Akane wanted to scoff.

Or cry, maybe. From relief or _something else._ She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about a lot of things lately, and the common factor in the things she was unsure of... was the girl beside her.

She wanted to look up at the sky, and shout. She was confused, and frustrated, and a lot more things... Just not 'calm.' But as easily as that urge had appeared, Akane tamped it down. Sugai was watching...observing her with a worried expression on her face, and Akane just...

"Moriya?"

Akane answered with a shrug. She didn't want to talk about what she was feeling.

Not yet.  
Not ever, maybe.

"Did they... Are you hurt?" Akane asked back instead. Because it was the natural thing to do, and not because she was worried about Sugai. She kept telling herself that.

Sugai's free hand fidgeted on the creases on her collar for a second, but Akane caught the movement.

"I... No. _It_ didn't hurt," Sugai said with finality in her tone. 

_'It.'_

Akane's guts twisted. So, they did do something...

But before dread and frustration and anger could mix within Akane, a can of iced coffee was suddenly held out to her.

"This is for you, by the way," Sugai said. A small smile was on her face. "Please accept it."

Akane stared at the iced coffee held by thin fingers. Her head was churning up details from earlier. _Did Sugai..._

"The vending machine finally have the new variant today." 

Did she buy two for the both of them? Was that the girls from awhile ago tried forcing out of her, who the other coffee was for?

Akane gave Sugai a small bow as she accepted the iced coffee which was already not that cold. She didn't mind though...

...When all she could feel was the tiny swelling somewhere deep in her chest. 

"Lunch break is ending soon," she muttered, taking a glance at her wristwatch.

Sugai only heaved in a shaky breath beside her, and hummed, "Seems like it..." 

Akane could hear the smile on Sugai's face even without looking at the girl. With a voice close to a whisper, she said, "Do you... Do you think if we share this between us, it could keep us functioning until dismissal?"

"I guess we'll find out later..."

And when Akane stole a glance over at Sugai, she was proven right.

Sugai was smiling.

* * *

It was coming back. The anxiety. That uncomfortable niggling at the back of her neck as if someone was watching her from a distance. And someone might as well could actually be.

Almost a year ago, it had been a clean gash on the face of her tennis racket. It was an incident she couldn't explain to her parents, or to anyone from the tennis club. For a few weeks, she ended up using old, beat-up rackets handed down by previous club members until she saved up to buy another one.

It was unwarranted. She didn't know what she had done to offend anyone for them to actually ruin one of the most important things she owned. Sure, back then, she didn't talk to the other students unless she needed to. Whatever number of friends she had disappeared eventually, grew tired of her elusiveness. Only Koike and Habu gave her her space openly. They knew what had happened. She needed that time to be herself again.

Akane snapped out of her daze, and her head finally noticed that her hands had started shaking...while still holding both her school blouse and her blazer, their backs both slashed and ripped. The sweat from training had started drying on her skin, making cold all over.

Before rational thoughts could follow, if she could wear her tennis shirt home, what else she could wear--

"Moriya..."

There was a scuffle behind her, and Sugai was by her side in a beat. The other girl gasped in surprise. Akane couldn't do a thing as Sugai took the torn fabrics that once were her uniform from her hands. Sugai had started shaking as well, as she inspected them herself. 

Akane was unsure of the next best course of action. She was the last to leave their locker room as usual. None of her teammates were around anymore...

She started fumbling in her bag for her phone. "I--I need to call..."

But her hands froze again, as the realization... as it hit her again. She didn't even know who to call without being asked what had happened... without others seeing how shaken she was.

"Moriya..." Sugai's voice was soft, and at the same time, firm. "You need to get out of your tennis clothes. We'll take you home right after that."

There was something in Sugai's eyes that made the corners of Akane's eyes sting, her jaw to quiver, and for her heart to be enveloped with warmth. And she wasn't expecting that... for her reaction, so visceral, Akane couldn't say "No, I don't need anyone's help," or push Sugai Yuuka away.

"I..." 

* * *

  
"I..." 

Something inside of Yuuka tightened seeing Moriya like that. As if she could feel what Moriya was internally going through herself. Not as intense, but as palpable. 

Without thinking more of it, of the boundaries she might cross with the other girl, Yuuka chucked Moriya's ruined uniform inside the girl's duffel bag. She unfolded Moriya's towel, and placed them over Moriya's shoulders. With a gentle push, Yuuka steered Moriya towards a narrow hallway, leading to the main gym where the pool and showers were at.

The showers were already empty that time of the afternoon, and it brought Yuuka relief that Moriya would no longer need to deal with inquisitive stares, and could be left alone.

As they reached the farthest shower stall, Yuuka made sure that Moriya had everything she needed inside, before saying, "I'll go find something for you to wear."

Moriya lifted her head up at that. Something stirred inside of Yuuka upon seeing a hint of panic in Moriya's otherwise tired expression.

"I--I'll be back..." Yuuka assured the girl. Habu probably had something inside her locker that they could borrow, or maybe she could meet Tanaka by the gates and ask for one of the clean, plain white shirts she knew her bodyguard-friend kept in the trunk of the car along with the first aid kit, a blanket, and a thermal jacket for emer--

"Sugai..."

Yuuka stopped in her tracks. She nodded her head, and waited for the rest of what Moriya wanted to say.

"Can you..."

And it only took a glance at the shower curtain and at the spot where Yuuka was standing to know what Moriya couldn't directly ask.

For Yuuka to...

_'Don't leave.'_

There was something in Akane's dark eyes that made her shoulders square up, her jaw to set, and for her heart to swell with an inexplicable feeling, one Yuuka hadn't felt before. And she was surprised... at her reaction, so visceral, like she would do anything, go anywhere, accept anything for Moriya Akane. 

Yuuka nodded her head, and planted her feet firmly on the floor. "If you want me to..."

Moriya pursed her lips together, and dropped her gaze before pulling the shower curtain close.

  
* * *

  
It was only when Akane finally pulled the shower curtain aside that she realized how much, in a few days, had changed between her and the transfer student...her classmate... _friend_.

...Sugai Yuuka, who stayed rooted outside of the shower stall, and wordlessly waited until she stepped out from her quick shower.

Akane had her hair tied up in a high ponytail while her towel was draped over her naked torso clad in only her bra. Her plaid skirt wasn't ruined, and she was able to wear it again. She was yet to think about what to wear on top upon walking out, and it was unlike her, to not plan ahead. Maybe one of her teammates had left their tennis club jackets in their cubbyholes. Although there was a slim chance of that happening, since it was already getting hot being that close to their summer break, Akane still had to see for herself.

Exhaustion had already seeped deeper into her body. She just wanted to go home.

But before Akane could share her plans with the other girl, Sugai was already...

"Here. You can use this."

Sugai held out an unfamiliar track jacket to her. It was neatly folded, and with the way Sugai offered it with both hands, Akane wondered how special it could be for the other girl.

"It's my club jacket from my former school," Sugai told her. She unfurled the jacket and held it closer to her. "And I... I've been carrying it in my bag since my first day here."

It was dark green with silver and gray lining. The crest of Sugai's equestrian club was stitched on its left chest while Sugai's full name was stitched in silver across the back.

Akane could only stare at it... especially at the name stitched prominently.

Sugai shifted in place, and she must have realized something at that moment, for her next words were, "If you want, you can think of it as just a jacket. You don't need to worry about the implications..." 

Akane was already doing that. The whole day had been too much. She needed more time to process it all...

"I'm not expecting anything in return. I just want to see you get home safely, covered, without catching a cold."

Akane appreciated that, Sugai's consideration for her feelings. Even the ones Akane wasn't voicing out.

It was foreign, and at the same time, somewhat familiar. Akane thought of only that, the familiarity. Not of the intensity, or the warm rush to her chest...

And if the two of them had been sighted walking home together, Sugai Yuuka matching her pace, and Moriya Akane, wearing a dark green sports jacket with 'Sugai Yuuka' stitched in silver at the back, Akane didn't think about it. She didn't think about what others would say. She didn't worry about the gossip that would probably stew over the weekend.

She was ready to pass out from exhaustion. She just wanted to go home, coop up in the comfort of her bed.

  
Sugai Yuuka's old jacket was snug and warm against her skin... and the way Yuuka's arm kept brushing against hers as they walked side-by-side, Akane thought of only that.

  
* * *

Akane was still in bed, resting on her stomach. Then she turned on to her side... She caught sight of the jacket folded on her desk. She quickly turned on her back, only to--

With a resigned, a-bit-frustrated sigh, she finally settled on her side again, and stared at the same item she had been staring at since she woke up from a heavy sleep early that morning--

  
Sugai Yuuka's jacket.

Its dark green color, and silver and gray lining and stitching had been burned in her retinas.

Her ruined uniform was deep inside her closet. She had hidden it the moment she arrived home, somewhere her mother wouldn't see. But she wasn't bothered by that anymore. She still had other sets of uniform bought that year. She just had to do the laundry more often than usual.

The wall clock seemed to tick a little loudly, and Akane used that to try pace herself in her thoughts.

From her Sugai-Yuuka-filled thoughts...

_"I like being around you."_

_"I want to see you more, so that's why I..."_

She had been up since four, an hour and a half earlier than the usual. On a Saturday morning.

Akane ran her hands over her face. She hadn't even washed her face yet, or even gotten herself out of bed. It was so unlike her.

What if she thought of the 'implications' of wearing Sugai's jacket, of her wearing something with Sugai's name on it... Would Sugai also acknowledge the 'implications' if she allowed it? Sugai Yuuka, who had been--

The walk home the previous day had been silent. Akane didn't have the energy to think of a topic that could ease up the _tension_ in the air between them. Neither did Sugai. Her classmate... _friend_ didn't say a word throughout their walk. Sugai just walked her home. But that didn't mean that the girl held back on her stolen glances of concern. Surprisingly, Akane didn't find Sugai's company irritating or unwelcome.

_"I want to see you more..."_   
_Like as a friend? Or--_

The abrupt ringing of her phone startled her out of her thoughts, and Akane wasn't sure if she welcomed the interruption to her latest distraction, or disliked it.

She blindly reached for her phone on the nightstand, and accepted the call with a curt, "What now?"

A scandalized gasp at the other end of the line made Akane sit up.

"Say what again, _dear_ offspring?"

"It's--I thought you were somebody else..." Akane massaged the bridge of her nose. "Good morning, Mama. How's Tokyo?" 

Her parents' work brought them to different parts of Japan, leaving Akane by herself at their estate most of the time. For three weeks usually, while the longest had been two months. As early as 11 years old, Akane had grown used to tending to herself, cooking for one, managing her school allowance regularly sent to her along with their house-related bills. She didn't mind, really. It was the set-up she had grown into. She never experienced anything aside from that.

"Were you expecting another call, Akane?"

Her mother never missed a call during Saturdays. It was to check up on her, if the regular packages and money from them had reached her on time, and then, to recap how her week had gone by, at school or outside of it. Her father would sometimes chime in in the background, or would call her himself at random on weeknights.

But those phonecalls with her mother? They were scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and her mother never missed a single one. It gave Akane a sense of normalcy and something constant in their small family's unconventional set-up.

But sometimes...

Akane sat up straighter on the bed, and made herself more presentable even if her mother wasn't there to see her posture.

"How was your week?" Her mother asked, jumping right in to the topic Akane didn't mind talking about... "How did your Biology exam go?"

Her studies.

Something she could talk about for a long while with her parents. She didn't have a hard time with her academics, even with tennis mixed in. Those talks usually ended up with her mother reassured, and pride clear in her voice. Akane liked hearing that from them.

"So, what are your plans this weekend?"

Just like that, Akane clammed up.

"Akane?"

She didn't enjoy hearing that. Even if she knew that she would be asked that right after the topics School and Tennis, she still couldn't--

No. She didn't have any plans.

No. She had no one to go out with.

The whole weekend, aside from her daily exercise, she would just binge-watch dramas, sleep, probably cook something easy, or unhealthy if she was feeling a bit rebellious...

Be alone...

But yeah, she couldn't tell her mother all of that. 

Because that would open up, again, the can of worms that the two of them had already opened in the past, which resulted in clipped answers, finally feeling pressured maybe even worse than any tennis match she competed in. That conversation ended up with her mother sobbing over the phone about how worried she was for her daughter growing up lonely and sad with no real friends to call her own.

No. 

If it meant that she would need to...

"Minami's coming over later this afternoon."

_...lie._

"She said she wanted to try cooking yakisoba." Akane pursed her lips together while toying with a loose thread on her blanket, her fingers slightly getting tense. "And her mother would only take over once they attempt it at their kitchen, so..."

She wasn't a fan of lying.   
She also wasn't proud of herself as of that moment. 

"Ah, Koike-san would do that. She loves cooking enough to monopolize it in her household." Her mother chuckled lightly. She always had fondness for the Koike family next door. Maybe it was one of the reasons why they were complacent with leaving Akane behind for long stretches of time... Her parents trusted her enough, and the people she had 'made friends' with. 

"Just be careful of that cupboard above the sink. Its spring had become loose, and your father had forgotten to have it fixed before we left last week."

"I will," Akane replied, automatically. She didn't revel in the relief as the interrogation was about to end. She was already planning her day ahead. The sun was already getting higher and brighter. She probably needed to start her day with a light exercise. She wanted to do something planned for her weekend, after all the unwanted and unwarranted highs and lows the past week had brought her.

Her mother had hang up after, "You have fun cooking, Akane, and make sure to tell me about it later, hmmn?"

And as she stared down at her phone, she wondered how devastated her parents would be if they knew...

  
* * *

  
"Moriya Akane."

Koike had her eyebrows raised. Her eyes flickered between her and the partially-open door, as if expecting something.

"Uhmm, what..." Akane was folding clean clothes fresh from the dryer when the doorbell rang, and instead of a delivery guy holding a package from her parents currently in Tokyo, it was Koike Minami's face that had greeted her.

"Step aside, please." Koike passed the grocery bag she was carrying onto Akane's arms before striding past her.

Akane quickly closed the door after her, and followed Koike into her own home. Her neighbor... _friend_ had already been over to her house countless of times for Koike to move with ease and familiarity in it.

Akane, however, was still confused. The sudden visit was unplanned, and whatever Koike was doing...

Koike was already taking a peek into the fridge while browsing on her phone when Akane caught up with her. Her face had a determined look, one Akane recognized well.

"It should be easy..." Koike said. "But I've never cooked anything outside of omelettes and fried rice, so if this tastes awful, we're still eating everything."

"I..." Akane paused as something niggled in her head. She took a look inside the heavy grocery bag, and then, it finally hit her. With just one glance, she could already make out all the ingredients for... _yakisoba_.

Akane's jaw clenched. Something warm, something she had missed, made its way to her chest. "Did my mother..."

Koike stood up straighter after taking out a small bowl of fresh strawberries from the fridge. Her small face wasn't showing any judgment as she confirmed Akane's guess. "Yeah. She sounded really excited about it, so I..."

"I..."

"No need to mention it."

But Akane still wanted to.

"Thank you."

Koike shrugged away her thanks, but Akane knew that it was not to make her feel uncomfortable.

Koike took out a small bowl of strawberries from the fridge, and brought a piece to her mouth. She looked at Akane straight in the eyes, still free of judgement, and said, "You should have just asked me directly, you know."

"I..." Akane didn't know what to say, which was, again, unlike her. She also found that she was fine with it. That Koike already knew her well enough that they didn't need affirming words anymore.

"We're friends. You can ask things from me."

Akane already knew that. Koike Minami and her family had been around during some of the momentous points of her growing up. When she first had her period, Minami's mother was there to console her. When she and Minami both caught the flu, she stayed over at the Koikes next door until her parents returned from Hokkaido. But somewhere along the way, she had pushed people away and adapted a lone wolf persona which she believed protected her in some way.

Akane nodded her head, and still said, "Okay."

Koike finished another strawberry, and looked at her with a serious face that turned a bit smug. "I would drop any plans I have just to see you at a loss for words, and your beautiful, flustered face along with it."

Akane shook her head, turning away to hide the warm smile breaking on her face which only grew wider as Koike broke into an amused laughter. She had missed Koike Minami. After what had happened yesterday, she needed that.

The two of them prepped the yakisoba ingredients on the kitchen island, and started on the vegetables. They were on opposite sides, facing each other. Akane was in charge of anything that involved the knife while Koike measured the liquid ingredients.

They worked on companionable silence, with occassional one-sided soft chatter from Koike. Her friend talked about the latest burger place Habu had taken her to, and the crepes they had the day after. Akane had forgotten how much she and Koike and Habu used to go out together to eat. She decided that maybe she would invite them herself in the future...Maybe in a few weeks, before she needed to leave for tennis camp.

And as if Koike had read her mind... "Are you excited for tennis camp?"

Akane let out a breath. She unconsciously flexed the wrist of her dominant arm upon hearing the words 'tennis camp.'

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Only one slot was given to our school this time, and all the senior members agreed that I have it."

Koike hummed in approval. "You'll do great, as usual."

Akane mumbled her thanks, slightly embarrassed... which was again, so unlike her. She ducked her head, and concentrated on chopping the green bell pepper more thinly. She remembered Koike not liking bell peppers at all. Without meaning to, her thoughts went straight to Sugai, wondering if the other girl had no problems eating bell peppers like her. Akane liked how bell peppers give off flavors that--

"Is Makino gonna be there?"

Akane froze at the mention of that name.

Makino.  
Makino _Kanna_.

Her ex-girlfriend.

Akane's jaw hardened, and she had to lay down the knife she was holding before she hid her trembling hands out of Koike's view. She hadn't thought of Kanna in months...even when tennis used to remind her strongly of their past. Almost a year had passed after all.

But still, memories had swam to the surface. Memories of shoulder-length hair that forever smelled of jasmine, of silent encouragements from across the court through nods and meaningful glances, of stolen kisses in the locker room before and after practice... Of her first heartbreak, of the hollow feeling of being left behind, of the loneliness she had felt in her bones for months.

When Akane looked up, Koike's serious gaze met hers. It wasn't filled with pity. Her friend seemed sincere and...

... _open._

Something Akane no longer was.

Koike's voice had become softer as she said, "I'm not a fan of what she did to you, but you were so happy when you two were together."

Yes, Akane was. A long time ago. She was happy with Kanna... with Makino.

It was the first time she had felt loved in a romantic way by another person. It was also the first time she had liked someone that much. She had believed that they would last, that there was someone who would always be there for her, be with her...

Until...

"What are you trying to say, Koike?" She said, keeping her voice even. She couldn't help but recognize the hollowness remembering Makino had brought back. It wasn't as harsh as before, but the traces were still there. Like a faded scar.

Koike didn't meet her eyes, and Akane knew it was to allow her to breathe, to not scare her away. "...That there's a whole lot more out there than studying and tennis."

Without any warning, the dark green jacket sitting on top of her dresser came to mind. And Akane shook the thought away as if thinking more of it could open up a surge of a different emotion she wasn't ready to face yet. Could she ever be ready though?

Koike cleared her throat, and Akane looked up, only to see a flash of mischief on her friend's face. Akane almost rolled her eyes as Koike said, "There's 'news' going around that Sugai walked you home... while _you_ were wearing her jacket."

"That--that..."

Akane couldn't stop the warmth from rising to her cheeks, and Koike giggled at the sight of her blushing. She couldn't even remember knowing how to blush... She didn't do that--

"You..." She narrowed her eyes at Koike, which only made her friend laugh harder.

With a huff, Akane resumed her chopping of vegetables. She focused on the task instead of entertaining Koike's words in her head.

Yes, yakisoba instead of feelings that--

The doorbell chimed. 

Akane gladly sprung up from the barstool and pushed herself from the table. The package delivery from her parents had arrived. Finally. Maybe her parents had sent over that mochi brand that she'd always liked. 

She dashed towards the front door, welcoming the interruption. Another thing to keep her mind off of--

"We bought ice cream!"

Akane froze.

The faces of Habu _and_ Sugai greeted her. A grinning one next to a shy-looking face.

Sugai had lowered her head, and strands of hair were falling over the girl's face which had also turned red.

Akane couldn't take her eyes away from the girl.

"Hi, Moriya-san," Sugai greeted her, and Akane almost missed it when--

"We chose your favorite, and also another one of mine," Habu said, showing Akane the two pints of ice cream inside the plastic bag she was carrying. "Because two flavors are always better than one."

Akane still caught Sugai's soft greeting, and different things went through her chest which started from the tickle at the back of her neck.

"I was fine with just pistachio, though..." Sugai said beside the tall girl.

Akane had mentioned it once in passing. Her preference for pistachio ice cream. She couldn't even remember when she had said it... But Sugai remembered.

Another set of memories, a more recent one, a yesterday-kind of recent, made its way to the forefront of her mind, and wrapped her with warmth. Like how a certain dark green jacket had wrapped her.

"Because pistachio is Moriya's favorite?" Habu said evenly, as if they had been over that debate earlier. "Nope. We can't decide just because of that."

"I--I know. It's just..."

Habu went on admiring their choice in ice cream flavors. The other one was a mix of three types of sweetened milk. "Choosing ice cream flavors deserve time evaluating. Like what goes well with yakisoba, or if Mii-chan is allergic to anything we're buying, or--"

"They're going to melt," Akane interrupted Habu as soon as she snapped out of the _fluttery_ happenings inside of her. It felt like she needed a full week to recover from all the surprises she had gone through from that afternoon alone, and it had only been an hour since the first surprise.

"If you want to come in, just come in," Akane said, resigned. She opened the door wider, and waited aside for the two to slip out of their shoes.

Sugai bowed before fully getting in. Her eyes wandered at the interiors of the house, and suddenly, Akane felt conscious of the oversized, plain, white shirt and black running shorts she was wearing. She also tried to recall when was the last time she had vacuumed on the thick rug by the rustic wood stove her father was immensely proud of.

Habu had springs in her step as she walked straight to the kitchen to put the ice cream in the freezer, maybe, and to greet Koike, surely.

Akane hang back, and waited for her other guest to step out of her oxford shoes.

And that was how Sugai caught her when their eyes finally met again --

Akane, probably blushing while watching Sugai.

"Hi..."

"You said that already."

"I know..."

Akane cleared her throat, and led the way to the kitchen.

Sugai held her back though, with a gentle touch on her wrist.

"You have a lovely home," Sugai said, looking straight at her eyes. "Thank you for inviting me in."

Akane swallowed hard. The skin on her wrist continued tingling. "It's not a stone mansion on a hill, but it has charms of its own."

  
* * *

  
Yuuka snapped out of her daze as the butter knife she was holding weighed her hand down. The silverware clinked on her half-empty plate. She straightened up, and looked at all the unoccupied seats surrounding the long table where she was.

When her parents had returned to Tokyo to accompany her big sister, it was just a typical Saturday morning at the Sugai manor. But her thoughts weren't about Tokyo, and her family there, nor the life she had had there.

Her thoughts were filled with serious, dark eyes, and moments of silence that would leave her more curious, interested... and unsatisfied.

With a resigned sigh, she leaned back against the high backrest of her chair, and stared out the wide window overlooking the green of the treetops and the bright blue of the morning sky.

Yesterday, Moriya had thanked her quietly when they finally reached the gate to the girl's estate. It was Yuuka's first time to see where Moriya lived, and she couldn't help but think how the house was like Moriya Akane herself. It was a two-storey house, painted in white with a black roof and black edges. It sat in the middle of a wide stretch of property and surrounded by a low stone wall lined with old trees.

Moriya didn't look at her as she murmured "Thank you, Sugai-san," and Yuuka had to fight the urge to envelope Moriya in a comforting hug. She gave up on the idea eventually, and waved the girl inside.

She had watched Moriya's form walk away from her, while keeping down the urge to stay at Moriya's side and possibly intrude.

Tanaka had come out of the shadows and came up beside her as soon as Moriya disappeared inside the house.

"Let's head home, Yuuka-sama. Moriya-san will be fine."

And that night, she had resolved into trusting that her old, dark green jacket had offered Moriya the comfort she wanted to give by itself.

The grandfather clock chimed eight o'clock, and Yuuka used that to try pace her thoughts.

Her Moriya-Akane-filled thoughts...

_How was her morning?_   
_Is she feeling better?_

Yuuka had thought of and told Moriya about the 'implications,' of the gesture that could be lost between them. But once the heaviness of Moriya's situation had lifted, would Moriya acknowledge it? Would the girl allow it? 

Would Moriya distance herself again?

Would Moriya remember the things she had said in the locker room?

Yuuka had been up since six, an hour earlier than the usual, on a Saturday morning. She was eager to start her day, hoping that it would turn to a better, less-worried one because of the plans Habu had for the day. Her friend wanted to take her and Koike to a bubble tea shop that a classmate had recommended.

But after having breakfast of poached egg and avocado on toast, and freshly-squeezed orange juice...

The abrupt vibrating of her phone startled her out of her thoughts, and Yuuka wasn't sure if she welcomed the interruption to her processing, or disliked it.

\- Hey, Yuuka-san!

It was a message from Habu.

\- Sorry. Change of plans.

Yuuka breathed in shakily, bracing herself for the feeling of being blown off by a friend. The disappointment, all too familiar. She didn't want to admit that she was used to it...

...But she was.

Tanaka was even looking forward to their day outside. She could tell. Her bodyguard-friend had already donned on a casual white shirt and blue jeans, his most discreet, up to date, and was already waiting for her by the foyer.

Her hands shook a bit as she began typing a default, 'It's okay. We can go another time.' But before she could hit send--

\- We're hanging out at Moriya's house instead!

Yuuka had sat up so fast, the wooden chair scraped loudly against the stone floor. The sound made Tanaka appear by the doorway, alert.

"Is everything alright, Yuuka-sama?" Tanaka asked.

But Yuuka was already half-running past him towards the staircase, saying, "I'm great!"

She didn't even wait for the details that followed, and immediately started getting ready.

Yuuka might also have tried on six dresses, and five different tops before deciding on a simple blue cotton dress with yellow flower designs at the hem. And might have skipped lunch for fear of being unable to keep it down due to nerves.

If Tanaka and the rest of the house had noticed, none of them said anything. Yuuka was excited, they didn't dare embarass her by making a big deal out of it... Even if it really was, a big deal.

  
* * *

  
Sugai wouldn't look at her directly. To be honest, Akane couldn't meet Sugai's eyes either. Especially with their other friends around. If Koike or Habu, the former especially, had noticed, nobody said a thing. There was a lot to do anyway, and enough chatter to keep them occupied.

Cooking yakisoba was going smoothly. They weren't that useless in the kitchen after all. Akane had been cooking for herself for a long time that it was easy to adapt to new recipes. But trying yakisoba hadn't crossed her mind, actually. Her go-to recipe search had always been for anything energy-boosting and diets high-profile athletes had. Koike was good at delegating tasks, while Habu and Sugai could follow instructions... Or so they thought. Sugai was more at ease around the kitchen than what Akane and Koike had expected, they found out later that afternoon.

Akane ended up in front of the stove, while Sugai was next to her, assisting. And she had never felt so conscious of her movements than in that moment beside the girl.

Koike was sitting on the same barstool as Habu, as if there weren't any other available barstools around the kitchen island. Her friend was carefully slicing green peppers into thinner strips. She didn't like the thickness of the green bell peppers that Akane had previously sliced. She had complained with "You can eat every vegetable raw without question if studies say they are good for your health."

Akane wanted to argue about _some_ of the benefits of that, but when Koike said, "Okra," she knew she couldn't make a counter for that.

After a little convincing, Habu had let Koike use the knife. Her movements were slow but sure anyway. The chances of her hurting herself was slim. 

"Do you cook often, Sugai?" Koike asked. She had just finished re-slicing the green bell peppers and handing them over to the girl.

"Not really, but I try to." Sugai said, handing the right ingredients over to Akane without cue. "My parents have put me in cooking classes before."

Akane kept her face blank, and her posture unchanged as she listened to Sugai talk about herself.

"I plan on living by myself when I attend university," Sugai went on. "They weren't thrilled with that idea but I insisted. They worry a lot, so I learned how to cook."

Akane shouldn't really do it, but she also ended up keeping the info to bring it up again at some point.

Sugai had sounded reluctant to share at first, but the story ended with the rest of them not making a big deal out of it, until...

Habu, who was looking into the fridge suddenly poked her head up and commented, "The dumplings you did one time were really good!"

Akane's ears prickled at that. It shouldn't bother her really... that Sugai was cooking for Habu. Or that Habu had already tried Sugai's cooking. They were friends... all of them were. Friends could share food.

But as she stole a furtive glance over at Koike, Akane found out that she wasn't the only one who had some thoughts running in their heads. Her childhood friend was silent, and her eyes were trained on the chopping board, and kinda intensely.

Sugai moved a little closer as she handed over the small bowl of mixed sauce. She seemed to not notice any change in the air. She was still a little shy as she regarded Akane beside her.

"Do you have nori sprinkles, Moriya?" Sugai asked, looking over at the pan of the browning noodles Akane had just covered.

"It should be in there, I think," Akane replied, pointing with her mitt-covered hand at the cupboard above the sink while running through the written recipe tucked under the pepper shaker one last time.

"I'll get it," Sugai said, already on the move.

Akane hummed in approval, and--

Her mother's voice popped up in her head. She whipped her head up.

A thud resounded in the kitchen. A yelp of pain followed right after. Sugai doubled over. Her hands had shot up to cover her forehead.

It was too late.

A sharp tug in Akane's chest nearly made her stagger. The cries of surprise from Habu and Koike came muffled to her ringing ears. Without thinking, Akane slid the oven mitt off her hand and dropped them along with the spatula, almost hurling them on the kitchen counter unceremoniously.

It took two quick steps for Akane to reach for Sugai, and held the girl up. She firmly, but also as gentle as she could, pried Sugai's hands away from her face to see the damage. Akane brushed Sugai's fringe aside, revealing a reddened spot with the size of a coin below Sugai's hairline. It would surely leave a bruise.

Sugai whimpered in pain as she clutched on Akane's upper arms for support.

Akane's jaw hardened at the girl's obvious pain. She cupped Sugai's head in her hands, and softly blew on Sugai's forehead.

Sugai gradually started to calm down a bit at the unexpected gesture. Her breathing, becoming less frantic.

And the ringing in Akane's ears faded.

Habu suddenly came up beside them, offering a familiar-looking ice pack to them. It was the one Akane kept in storage inside the freezer.

But Akane had pushed it aside without looking away from Sugai's face. She proceeded to blow softly onto the small red spot on Sugai's forehead, hoping to soothe it further.

Sugai had her eyes shut, but Akane could see tears clinging on Sugai's eyelashes.

Akane soothed the skin above Sugai's eyebrow with her thumb repeatedly, waiting for the pain to pass.

But the ice pack had re-appeared again beside them, and that time, Akane looked, and it was Koike who was handing it over to her.

Koike had an eyebrow raised. There was a knowing look on her face, and Akane suddenly felt conscious of everything...

...of how her own hands were cradling Sugai's face, of Sugai's hands that held on to her upper arms, of the less-than-a-foot distance between them.

Akane, as if burned, withdrew her hands from Sugai, and took a step back. 

Sugai opened her eyes as soon as Akane removed any contact with her. Their eyes met briefly, and there was something in Sugai's eyes that left Akane momentarily frozen. There was a hint of tenderness in them, and something close to pleading... Making Akane feel like she was doing something wrong by leaving Sugai over to someone else. 

Akane had to look away, and let Koike take over with the ice pack. Her friend didn't make it more awkward for all of them, and just told Sugai, "We need to get that iced before it leaves a nasty bruise..."

Sugai nodded, taking the ice pack Koike had pressed on her forehead. She sniffed a little.

The quickly-dropping adrenaline in her body made Akane a little tired. With slow movements, she turned back to the pan of yakisoba she had left simmering. It didn't burn, thankfully.

"You should be more careful, Yuuka-san..." Habu sidled carefully towards Sugai. Her voice was small and sounded nervous, like Akane had never heard her before.

"I will..." Sugai replied, gingerly holding the ice pack to her forehead. "It's--it's just a little bump though... No need to..."

But Akane had caught the tremble in Sugai's voice, as if the girl was that rattled by what had happened. She wondered how much pain Sugai--

"There's the nori sprinkles, at least," Sugai pointed out at the item in the cupboard, revealed by its open and loose door.

A tense silence followed. Akane didn't know how to react at the way Sugai offhandedly steered the conversation. It seemed like Koike and Habu were the same as they shared stumped expressions.

Sugai suddenly burst out laughing.

And whatever tension the incident had created, it faded in an instant.

Akane wondered though, as the others prepared the table for their meal, as Sugai and Habu made jokes that were so lame they became funny, as Akane tried shaking off the tingling in her hands and upper arms where her skin made contact with Sugai's, if the tension... if it was really broken.

  
* * *

  
"We sometimes cook pizza here," Akane told Sugai, as they stood side-by-side in front of the rustic wood stove by the wall at the living area. 

Sugai's eyes widened in wonder. "I want to try that. They must be delicious."

"They were."

Akane stole a glance over at the girl beside her. Koike had gone home next door with Habu, to hang out by themselves longer. They didn't extend the invitation to Sugai, knowing that Tanaka would arrive soon to pick the girl up.

Sugai didn't seem to mind, and looked somewhat both relieved and nervous to be left alone with her. Akane didn't want to think more about it.

For the meantime, Akane showed Sugai around the house except the second floor and the hallway leading to the stairs where the Moriya family pictures hang. The hallway walls were filled with framed baby and childhood pictures of her. Akane wasn't embarrassed of them. In fact, she took pride in her looks, and how the cameras captured them well. Even that one baby photo of her as a three-year-old, her tear-blotched face scrunched up into a full-on cry...

It was just that, it felt intimate showing them to Sugai. Not even Makino was allowed there too long during the times her then-girlfriend had come over.

Akane just wasn't ready.

"Can we do pizza next time?" Sugai asked her, hopeful.

Akane turned on her heel towards the back door, leading to the backyard. "Maybe."

Sugai followed closely behind her. The shuffle of the girl's indoor slippers tickled Akane's ears.

"Is that a promise?" Sugai asked. Akane could hear the smile in her voice.

"I..." Akane stopped when she reached the wooden patio overlooking their spacious backyard that led to the foot of a hill. She waited until Sugai was beside her.

And the other girl gasped in wonder at the sight. The sun was also setting in the horizon, and anyone, of any status in life, couldn't possibly be not amazed by it.

"It's a 'maybe.'"

"'Maybe' is a 50% 'yes.'"

Akane held back an amused chuckle. She stole a glance at the other girl, trying to catch a hint of emotion other than contentment on Sugai's face.

"Sugai..."

"Yes?"

"Are you... Are you okay with Habu leaving you behind?" She asked before she could second-guess.

Sugai tilted her head, searching her face with curiosity.

Akane averted her eyes in return. Seconds ticked by, and she opened her mouth to take her question back, but--

"I'm exactly where I want to be."

Akane's heart swelled, and heat travelled to her cheeks. She made furtive glances up at the other girl.

Like the unforeseen blush Sugai caused, conversations from the past also resounded in her head.

_"I like being around you."_

_"I want to see you more, so that's why I..."_

With the decision to take the chance to ask Sugai, instead of wallowing in doubts, and overthinking, she took a deep breath, and turned to her side to fully face Sugai...

...But Sugai Yuuka was already facing her, close enough to touch. And her eyes, the expression on her face felt like Sugai would rather watch her than the picturesque sunset before them. Like she was more beautiful than the magnificent warm colors in the sky.

Akane's body had an urge to turn away, to deny the onslaught of equally-warm emotions swelling in her heart. But something in her, that part of her that wasn't stubborn, that was still open to feel, made her stay put.

Without overthinking, Akane reached up, and touched Sugai's forehead, as lightly as she could.

Sugai flinched. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Akane instictively pulled her hand away. A soft apology ready in her lips. But Sugai suddenly caught her wrist, and held her in place.

It was Akane's turn to be surprised, but Sugai's hold on her arm, the fingers that enclosed around her wrist, they were gentle. Akane had trouble breathing easy.

Sugai let Akane's fingers soothe her hairline, and around the sore spot where the cupboard had hit. Sugai's cheeks had also turned red, but Akane didn't think too much of it, of what it could mean. That also seemed to become a common occurence when it came to Sugai Yuuka -- not thinking too much.

"Does it still hurt?" Akane's voice came out in a whisper. 

"Not anymore." Sugai's voice equally came out just as soft.

"You're lying."

"Maybe a little bit." Sugai tilted her head down as she was caught. But she directly met her eyes back up as she said, "But I--I feel better now, _Akanen_."

Air was caught mid-breathe in Akane's throat, and a series of thumping started in her chest. A chill ran across the back of neck, tickling her jaw and chin, making her want to smile.

Akane wasn't prepared for that one, at the surprise from being familiarly called by her first name. She wanted to laugh, despite the thought of the other girl's pain. She was warm inside. She was...

She fought the involuntary smile that wanted to resurface by narrowing her eyes at the other girl. It strongly felt like she was being teased, even dared. But Sugai--

Sugai eventually grinned, breaking Akane's internal struggle not to smile.

"You..." Akane exhaled in relief. She wasn't ready, and she rarely floundered in any situation thrown at her. She let her arms fall back to her sides.

"It's 'Moriya' to you," she corrected, although softly.

"If you say so, Mo-ri-ya." There was that twinkle in Sugai's eyes again. Like anything Akane did was everything to the girl.

Akane was used to knowing, to the confidence brought on by being sure of herself. But even though Sugai had made her question herself, and made her stumble with uncertainty, the sight before her didn't cause harsh twisting inside of her. The proximity between their faces didn't scare her away. She wasn't ready to fully acknowledge it... _Whatever_ they were having. But there was a shift between her and Sugai Yuuka, one she couldn't...didn't deny anymore.

Her mother would definitely call her again later that night. And Akane would tell her parents what had happened. Everything. From the moment Koike showed up that afternoon, until her last guest stayed to watch the sunset with her. _Almost_ everything. Maybe not about the loose cupboard door hurting one of her guests, but she would tell them about Sugai Yuuka for the first time. 

And if her father would tease her about how much she sounded so happy, Akane somewhat anticipated her own admission.

Maybe she was really happy.

_Maybe._

Sugai leaned a little closer. Without taking her eyes off of Akane, Sugai gently held Akane's wrist again. Gently. Tentative and sure at the same time. She raised Akane's hand back to the sore spot on her forehead.

And with just one word, uttered in a soft voice, "Please."

It didn't sound like a plea. It didn't make Akane want to run away.

Akane started rubbing small soothing circles on Sugai's forehead. She reveled in the warm colors dancing across Sugai's face, in the shadows her fingers were creating over smooth skin, and light wisps of hair along Sugai's hairline.

"It's hurting?" Akane asked just as softly. 

"A _lot._ "

"You're lying again." Akane didn't smile, but she hoped that Sugai could hear the hint of affection she was ready to show in her voice.

_to be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C/W for foul language use.

For Moriya Akane, the rest of the weekend had passed by uneventful. After Sugai Yuuka's bodyguard-friend, Tanaka, had picked the girl up, Akane didn't hear anything from Sugai all weekend. She didn't expect the girl to text her, but...

Akane didn't think more of it. She focused her energy instead on finishing her chores that her classmates... _friends_ had interrupted. If there was a moment where she had spaced out, and thought back on some moments from the past week, particularly of a dark green jacket and a small bump on a forehead, Akane would admit to nothing.

That Monday, though, was a different case.

There was a certain flutter in her chest that wouldn't go away, a nervous energy she couldn't stop from overwhelming her.

Was it about her slashed uniform?  
Or was it about seeing Sugai again?  
Was it both?

Akane had reached their homeroom earlier than most of her classmates. She had 25 minutes before classes would start, so she took out her English textbook, and read ahead.

Or tried to, because--

"You pushed Habu-chan's hands away." Koike Minami placed a chair beside her, and pressed close. "Habu-chan was handing you an ice pack, and you just..."

Akane breathed in deeply. Why did she think that Koike would miss that? Or that Koike would even let it go? 

"It was reflex," she patiently explained. "I didn't really mean it."

Akane could see the unconvinced expression on Koike's face as her friend hummed. She couldn't blame Koike for thinking that way. She didn't believe herself either.

"It's a good thing Habu-chan didn't really mind it," Koike said in a small voice. "Sometimes I think she's too good for this world."

Koike's voice had always been small and high-pitched in the first place, but there was something in her words that sounded sad for some reason. Akane felt a sudden protective surge towards her neighbor...friend. 

They were silent for the next minutes, and Akane was able to read two pages or so before their teacher finally arrived.

As Koike was re-arranging her chair back to her desk, she mentioned, "She's not coming to school today."

Akane didn't say a thing as they all stood up to greet the teacher, but her mind was swirling with questions.

She didn't message Sugai, or ask Koike about the girl. So her questions remained in her head. 

Training that afternoon went fine. There was nobody to disturb her time prepping for tennis.

But then, Sugai Yuuka didn't go to school the following two days, too.

* * *

  
Turning down people who had confessed their 'love' for her exhausted her. It exhausted her more when the reason for turning them down was asked, as if 'I'm not interested' wasn't enough for them.

And that afternoon, as Akane was getting back from signing the form for their tennis summer camp, Hashimoto, a boy from the class next to theirs, had taken her aside to ask her out.

And when--

"Why?"

Akane stopped herself from taking a deep, exasperated breath in front of Hashimoto. She had witnessed him deal with an emotionally-charged event before. Hashimoto had thrown a shouting fit in front of a female teacher, just because the teacher told him to button up his uniform collar on a particularly-hot day. It wasn't a nice sight altogether. 

Akane didn't have the headspace to tolerate or understand such behavior, especially from someone who wanted to date her.

"I have a lot on my plate. I have no time to--"

"So this isn't because of that bitch who transferred this semester?"

"'Bitch?'" Akane scowled at the word. Her hands balled into fists on her sides. She never had the tolerance for that word, too.

"You don't have time to date, but you keep that rich _bitch_ around." Hashimoto sneered.

"You love the attention that much, Moriya-san?"

 _What attention?_ Akane thought. Sugai had been absent for three school days, and only came to class that morning. Akane hadn't even spent time or had a talk with Sugai outside of their classroom. And if Sugai didn't text her during those days she was away, it was all up to the girl. Sugai could spend her time any way she wanted.

Akane didn't want to overthink it. It shouldn't affect her at all. She shouldn't feel miserable just because 'a friend' didn't text her for days...

She kept a straight face as she answered, "You don't know her at all. Before my impression of you worsens further, I heavily suggest you walk away now, and we leave this behind."

Hashimoto breathed out through his nose. The hands he had shoved inside his pockets visibly clenched into fists.

Akane straightened her back, focusing on Hashimoto's movements. They were in a secluded hallway that led to the back garden. She suddenly had an urge to grip her racket, and hit tennis balls against a wall, hear the loud thwack as hard rubber hit concrete.

Hashimoto walked away wordlessly, but not without an annoyed sniff. 

Akane was left bristling.

There were a lot of things she could be upset about. The worst of them was that Hashimoto had called Sugai that awful word, and mocked Sugai's affection for her... _whatever_ the girl was feeling for her. Yes, she had been keeping Sugai at arm's length, but seeing and hearing other people treat what they had as something superficial... Her guts twisted into tight coils inside of her. The radio silence from Sugai had already been a little upsetting as it was.

Her feet took her to the tennis club's locker room. There was a freshman, a new member, who was arranging towels by the rack when she stormed in. The kid scuffled away upon seeing her, knowing better than to stick around.

Akane's hands were shaking. She wanted to hurl something across the small room, to hear noise as it hit the wall or the floor. She tightened her hands into fists, and it helped ease the urge immediately. She was never that kind of person, after all... She took pride in the control she had of her emotions.

At the back of her mind, she knew that that control over herself would take its toll on her eventually, but as of that moment... She didn't have that kind of luxury.

Instead of letting it all out right then and there, she opened her cubbyhole, and stared at the half-filled space. There were cards and notes in there, congratulatory cards from her teammates, notes of admiration from her schoolmates. They didn't offer her that much comfort, not really. Just the _brief_ warm feeling of being admired and appreciated. She wondered when it had all started, that small desire to open up to someone, that wish to share whatever amount of joy...or sadness she was able to feel.

As the anger in her faded, her chest made room for something else... _weariness_.

She headed back to their classroom, almost dragging her feet. It was three minutes before classes would start again when she reached the room for fifth period. And for the most part, she had kept herself in check. Free of the harsh feelings she had had previously.

Sugai's eyes caught hers from across the room for the first time since they had last seen each other... Back at her place, during a sunset. The girl's eyes widened in surprise as if their eyes had met by accident. And maybe it had been by accident. Maybe Sugai had no intention to look at her at all. Maybe the girl had realized that Akane wasn't worth the attention, the time. Maybe...

Akane kept her mask of indifference on, and she knew it was effective. Sugai's smile was sad as the girl turned back to her notes. 

  
* * *

  
Akane spaced out again for a few seconds, enough for her to miss a not-that-strong serve from her club _senpai_ , Nakayama. She was relieved that neither Sugamoto nor their club adviser was there to see that _small_ miss.

She was aware of _it_. It had been in her mind the whole day already. It started the previous night, during her mother's Wednesday phonecall. 

"How's your new friend, Sugai-san?"

And she couldn't answer that. How could she tell her mother that Sugai hadn't messaged her at all during the girl's absence? Not even through Koike. Her neighbor-friend also had no word from Sugai, nor from Habu who was also absent for the majority of the week. Habu was away on some family trip, Koike mentioned. As for Sugai's whereabouts, nobody had an idea.

There had been no news from Sugai for four straight days. Akane wasn't in the habit of counting and tallying messages or calls. She just--

"Moriya!" Nakayama called from the other side of the court. "Your turn."

"On it!"

She just wasn't like that. She _used to be_ not like that.

But there was something stifling...overwhelming her. Like a dark, starless night creeping over a quiet field.

Nakayama hit the ball back, and Akane almost scrambled to return it, catching herself in time before she could land badly on her foot. She ended up falling to the ground, leaning half of her weight on one hand. Her palm stung in an instant.

A collective gasp from the other members were audible from across the court.

Akane righted herself up, and regarded the damage on her palm. The heel of her hand had scrapes on it. Dots of blood were slowly seeping out, a stark contrast on her pale skin and dusting of dirt.

"Moriya! You okay?" her _senpai_ asked, crossing to her side of the court. 

"Yes, _senpai_ ," she replied. "It wasn't a sharp one. I just wasn't attentive enough."

"Oh, I know that," Nakayama said, searching her face.

Akane bowed her head. "I'll be more careful next time."

Nakayama nodded. Then something seemed to catch his eye over Akane's shoulder for when he turned his attention back, he advised, "Keep your personal... _something_ outside of the court."

The back of Akane's neck prickled with dread.

And when she turned around, she caught sight of Sugamoto, the club captain, walking back inside the building with Matsumura- _sensei_.

  
* * *

  
Turning down people who had confessed their 'love' for her exhausted her. It exhausted her more when the reason for turning them down was asked, as if 'I'm not interested' wasn't enough.

And that day, during club hours, as Yuuka was walking back from having a drink at the water fountain, Maki, a girl from third year, took her aside to ask her out.

And the girl was beautiful with shiny, long straight hair that reached her waist, and wide eyes that her fringes sometimes covered when her head tilted. 

"Can I ask why?"

Maki also had a sexy rasp in her voice.

Yuuka should be flattered. She should _consider_ , at least.

But Yuuka's hands clenched into fists. There was a rising tightness from below her chest, until it reached her throat.

She should feel something. Flattered? Flustered? Anything. Although she had the same age as Maki, they were in different grades. Yuuka wouldn't have the need to explain that to anyone else if things turned out differently for her. She could also be thinking about something else besides the lack of messages from Miyagi while she was away. She could be thinking of the girl before her instead of maybes, and of a guarded girl who probably saw her as a nuisance.

Yuuka could be with someone like Maki. She should feel _something. Anything._

But the need to... The need to see--

_Nothing..._

_There's nothing..._

"I...I'm sorry," Yuuka managed to say before she turned around, and walked...stumbled away. 

Her knees were shaking, but she couldn't stop moving. She couldn't stop the thoughts, the echoes inside her head. And as she finally reached the tennis club's locker room, her chest was heaving. Breaths short, and pressure was building behind her eyes.

She hoped... _hoped_ that Moriya would be there. She prayed on her way over. Prayed, despite the high chance that the girl had already gone home, or stayed late, still practicing... Or didn't want to see her.

_Akanen..._

As soon as she laid her eyes on the other girl, she wanted to break down from intense relief, one she didn't know she could still feel.

Her hands trembled on her sides, and she just...

Moriya was standing beside the bench in the middle the locker room, alone, taking her time arranging her things in her duffel bag. The girl seemed lost in thought.

Yuuka didn't know how she looked like when Moriya finally noticed her, but the other girl's eyes widened a little before they showed a second of worry. Yuuka caught that shift in expression before Moriya's face became indifferent again.

"Good...good afternoon," Yuuka greeted the girl.

Moriya didn't reply. She only pursed her lips together.

A few seconds had to pass before Yuuka accepted that Moriya wouldn't show anything more than not replying.

Moriya turned around to gingerly reach for her folded tennis clothes, and carefully put them inside her duffel bag. Her movements were cautious and stiff, especially with her hands.

Yuuka eased her harsh breathing as she continued watching the other girl. Even if she could only see Moriya's back. She wanted to know if something had happened at practice. Because if there was one thing she had learned, there were only a few things that could make the infallible Moriya pre-occupied like that -- tennis and her studies. And Moriya was breezing through their classes. So it had to be--

"Habu's out with Koike," Moriya said, as if that was enough reason to stop her usual question of 'Do you want to go somewhere?'

Yuuka's usual question that didn't even cross her mind that afternoon.

"I know."

No. She was thinking of something else, of something stuffing her chest. With Moriya in front of her, it was becoming a little heavy... and confusing.

Thoughts from the past few days resurfaced again, and it was filled with Moriya Akane, of the girl's house, of the sunset that bathed the girl's pale skin with warm colors, of the gentle touches that Yuuka still felt after...

Her thoughts didn't dwell long on the grand traditional house she had stayed in, not of the repeated inquiries about the bruise on her forehead, or the fun she should be having trying out different restaurants around their hosts' property, or of the sights Tokyo and Miyagi didn't have.

Moriya still kept her back to her. "If you want her company, it's better to ask her tomorrow."

Yuuka's lower lip quivered. "I..." 

Why didn't Moriya text her while she was away for days? Was she not interested to even ask about the bump on her head? Was she back to square one? Did Moriya even feel her absence? Or was the girl relieved by it?

Yuuka suddenly wanted to cry.

That morning, when their eyes met again for the first time since that day of the sunset, Moriya's eyes were filled with something Yuuka hadn't learned yet how to read. But she, in turn, was struck with a certain want...an intense wish to--

Before Yuuka could think twice, she walked closer and hugged Moriya from behind. In two quick steps. With a slide of her arms around Moriya's waist. She caught the surprised soft gasp from the other girl.

"It's not Habu I want to see right now," Yuuka admitted.

"I just showered, Sugai-san," Moriya said. Her voice remained flat.

And for a second, Yuuka thought of the messages from Miyagi that didn't come. Her lower lip trembled, and she just...

Moriya's damp hair was tied up in a loose bun, and the fresh, flowery scent of the girl's body wash met Yuuka as she brushed her nose along the collar of Moriya's blouse, on the back of Moriya's neck, and the wisps of hair along her hairline.

Moriya stayed still, even when Yuuka hugged her a little bit closer.

"I've become selfish and greedy, _Akanen_..." she whispered. 

"It's 'Moriya' to...'' Moriya started but her words trailed away.

Yuuka appreciated that small detail, the reprimand in Moriya's words that the girl herself discontinued. And Yuuka couldn't help but squeeze Moriya tight. She took in another soft gasp from Moriya as she did so, and she wanted to keep hearing it. She wanted Moriya like that, in her arms, in her life...

Moriya relaxed a little. Yuuka pressed her face onto the back of Moriya's neck. She skimmed her nose and her quivering lips on the fabric of the girl's uniform, on Moriya's shoulder that wasn't as tense as before.

Yuuka wanted to believe that she did that, that the contact, her hug, managed to calm Moriya down.

She wanted to say a lot.

Like, 'Can't you like me as much as I like you?'

'Accept my feelings.'

'Like me back.'

But those words stayed within her. Warring inside her chest, they remained unsaid. She had vowed that she would be as honest about her feelings as she could after leaving Tokyo, that she would no longer bottle up her emotions just to not ruin things around her.

But being with Akane that afternoon, she just couldn't. She was afraid that she would ruin the moment, that her selfishness could break the fragile thing forming between them. She knew it could, just like how her own selflessness had broken herself in the past.

Yuuka didn't say a thing. The locker room stayed silent. The cicadas were shrill in the distance. The sound didn't bother her that much at that moment.

After a few heartbeats, Yuuka decided to let go. She had hugged the other girl without consent, and she wasn't going to make Moriya uncomfortable by staying that close even if she wanted to. She loosened her arms, and let them fall to her sides.

But then--

"I..." Moriya still had her back to her. And her head was low as she asked, "I suddenly want to have pasta."

Yuuka couldn't see Moriya's face, so she focused on what Moriya was saying instead.

And even if it was only about craving pasta, Yuuka didn't dare miss a word.

"Take me to one?"

  
* * *

  
Their walk together was quiet. Akane wasn't sure what to talk about. But the silence was more welcome than delving into the topic of Sugai's absence, or the lack of messages between them during that time. Akane had been overcome with uncertainty, and she didn't like what it had done to her routine and overall focus.

No. Akane didn't want to go back to that.

Sugai seemed too occupied with her own thoughts to open up a new topic, anyway. And Akane found that Sugai's presence walking beside her was enough to keep her mind off of tennis, or the receding light sting on her palm. Even for a while.

Akane could finally go back to those days when she had space in her head to worry and reflect on her next move or plan of action to make up for the misses she had done because of getting distracted.

It was close to seven in the early evening. She and Sugai were walking side-by-side down a brightly-lit street lined with shops and cafes. Sugai was taking her to a pasta place like what she had asked. Akane would catch up on her studies once she got home after. Things would go back to the way they were before Sugai disappea--

"I was asked out earlier."

Akane almost stumbled on her own feet. A tight feeling easily made its way to her throat.

She shouldn't care. She should have shrugged it all away. But then--

"Who..."

Akane's voice shook even with just that one syllable. 

Sugai's eyes were trained on the ground. "Maki-san..."

There were only three Maki's in high school that Akane knew of, and she could already tell which one. Maki #1 had been dating a classmate since the start of semester. Maki #2 had been dating a boy from another school since junior high... And Maki #3 was one of the most pined-after third years in their school. Beautiful, soft-spoken, member of the Tea Ceremony Club, long straight hair that reached her waist, single... A sense of insecurity foreign to Akane suddenly twisted her gut. 

"Matsumoto Maki-san?" Akane still had to ask.

Sugai hummed in affirmation.

Akane's jaw clenched, as something coursed through her veins, wanting to break free from under her skin. Akane's mind reeled with jumbled thoughts, all of them variations of 'What did you say? Did--did you accept?'

Her throat was tight with emotions rising in her chest. Why was she feeling that way? Sugai could date anyone she wanted to. Why would Sugai wait for someone who wouldn't give a definite answer? Sugai should just--

"Moriya..."

Akane didn't notice that she was holding her breath until Sugai had stopped beside her. Sugai Yuuka's eyes were soft and curious on her.

And when she caught her own reflection on a shop's window pane, she froze. Her face was... There was a hint of frustration, a scowl, on her face. It was almost as if she was in pain.

"I..." Akane started. What did she even want to say? "What... Did you..."

Sugai laid a gentle touch on Akane's forearm. "I'm here, and not with her..."

Akane's breath stuttered, but she was able to breathe easier after that...

...Even without _fully_ thinking about what their shaky conversation really meant to her. For them _both_.

  
* * *

  
Akane wondered if Sugai Yuuka found it nerve-wracking that she finally agreed to go dine out with her, and the reality that they were sitting across from each other in a small booth. Was Sugai having flutters in her stomach like she was? 

It was Sugai's first dinner alone with her. Akane didn't dare think of the implications of that particular 'first.' She wondered if Sugai was thinking about it, or if the other girl just didn't bring it up to not scare her into another talk about 'the implications.'

Sugai had taken her to a small Italian restaurant that she and Habu had wanted to try before. The mention of their other friend brought a little twitch on Akane's eyebrows which she hid by drinking from her glass of water.

Even if Sugai hadn't tried the restaurant out before, the place seemed to live up to the buzz around it. The interior was made of dark wood accented with colors of the Italian flag. It was cozy, and well-lit. Moriya had a beautiful...had a view of Sugai who looked tired but soft and comfortable sitting at the other side of the booth.

Sugai had chosen marinara while she had fusilli pasta with vegetables. The other girl also ordered a small pizza and tiramisu for them to share.

Sugai had asked then, "I hope it's okay," as if ordering more food that could prolong their dinner together would be pushing too much at the boundaries Akane had set for herself from other people. Akane only nodded. She might have to extend her work-out the next morning to burn off the calories from their dinner, but she didn't mind. She needed that time away from tennis, away from her responsibilities, even for just the night. She needed it after what had happened at practice that afternoon.

Akane had never foreseen herself saying such a thing though, that watching Sugai eat was a welcome distraction. Through furtive glances, Akane found it fascinating. In between scooping vegetable pieces with her fork, Akane would look at Sugai, and smile to herself, amused, because Sugai's eyes had widened at the string of mozarella from biting on her pizza slice, or because Sugai was humming appreciatively at the generous pieces of shrimp or squid on her plate.

There were a handful times that Akane got caught looking, and Sugai would only give her a shy smile before averting her eyes to hide a blush...blushes Akane didn't want to think too much of. She couldn't possibly have that kind of effect on Sugai.

Sugai mostly did the talking, but Akane made sure not to make the girl feel like it was one-sided, made sure that the conversations between them weren't stilted.

They talked about 'safer' topics. Not of the dark green jacket that was still on Akane's desk, or the day of the sunset. Not even the bump on Sugai's head that seemed to have healed well. Basically topics that wouldn't eventually lead to Sugai's absence and the lack of messages between them that time... Any topic that wouldn't lead to anything that dealt with emotions or feelings. 

By the time the tiramisu came... 

"My sister's visiting this weekend, and she promised to spend every moment with me." Sugai smiled openly, pushing the plate of tiramisu for her to try. "Please have the first forkful, Moriya."

Akane was a little surprised at the gesture. She wanted to say her thanks first, but Sugai had already continued talking.

"We haven't seen each other in a month. She has gotten busier lately."

Akane hid the warmth in her cheeks by focusing on the slice of tiramisu before her. She was getting flustered, and Sugai was in front of her, chatting away, completely oblivious.

When she glanced over Sugai's shoulder, she caught sight of the girl's bodyguard-friend, Tanaka, who was sitting three booths away from them, discreetly watching them from a distance. And he was smiling broadly while raising his thumbs up at her.

Akane narrowed her eyes at Tanaka before turning her full attention back to Sugai. She took a piece of the cake to her mouth, suddenly shy with the fond and satisfied look on Sugai's face.

"She even told me that she would stick by my side until I get sick of her." Sugai laughed, in a very Sugai Yuuka manner, her head tilted to the side, her eyes disappearing into half-moon crescents.

And Akane felt the corners of her lips twitching into a smile of her own, but she caught a glimpse of Tanaka again, watching her reaction carefully with an amused expression on his face. Akane ducked her head in reflex instead.

"I hope you enjoy your time with your big sister," Akane said, sincerely wishing that for the other girl.

"I will. Thank you." Sugai said, bowing a little.

Akane nodded her head. 

As their dinner eventually ended. They had split the bill, which Akane initially wanted to pay for fully, but Sugai insisted on splitting it, seemingly knowing that Akane wouldn't let Sugai pay for everything.

And as they walked back, taking the route to her house first, topics they didn't bring up started popping back to the top of her thoughts. Tennis was one of them. Sugai must have sensed earlier that Akane needed a break from it, after one look of maybe a plea in her eyes at the start of the question, "How was practice this..."

Akane also didn't bring up what had happened with Maki and her confession, or how Sugai's "I'm here, and not with her..." had made a warm feeling bloom in her chest, both familiar and foreign. Akane didn't think about how Sugai's whispered "I've become selfish and greedy, _Akanen_..." of what Sugai had meant by that, or about how the particular mention of her own name had echoed within her, chasing away all the doubts practice that afternoon had brought back.

They also didn't talk about Sugai's whereabouts the past few days. Akane didn't ask. She _couldn't_ ask. She didn't want to think that the first ever physical contact they both had since Saturday at sunset was a backhug, one Akane was still shaking from. 

Akane kept her hands clasped behind her, and her eyes on the ground as they were nearing her house. Sugai was less than a meter away from her, while Tanaka must be walking behind them, keeping a wide but safe distance away.

Akane was all warm and full from their dinner. Sugai seemed to be feeling the same while walking beside her. The other girl was silent, but the small smile on her face didn't fade all throughout their walk.

After the things they had talked about and not talked about, there was one thing that had been niggling at the back of her head.

...Did Sugai even miss her?

And as they finally reached the gate of the Moriya property, that question started to tighten in her throat, as if wanting to be let out. Akane frowned at the effort to keep it in. She wasn't expressive of her own feelings. Even with her parents, friends, or with Maki--past relationships. And she wasn't planning on starting with Sugai...

Sugai Yuuka had turned to face her. And she had a look of wonder on her face, as if Akane was the only source of whatever warmth she was feeling, and not of the delicious food they had or other possible positive factors.

...It was just that Akane had gotten so used to seeing Sugai everyday, even the girl's quirks and the awkwardness Sugai would keep trying to mask, that the days the girl didn't come to school had stirred something in Akane. Something that made her feel vulne... No, just uncertain, maybe. Shaky on her feet, a little... _maybe_.

Akane had trouble completely meeting Sugai Yuuka's eyes. Not when there was a question that her chest had been wanting to let out. Not when she was feeling so warm inside, she still hadn't gotten used it. 

It was a question they shouldn't voice out though, Akane believed. She and Sugai Yuuka were gravitating each other in a bubble, in the safety that 'words unsaid' could provide. And Akane--

"I missed you," Yuuka said, in a breathy rush.

And Akane breathed in, shakily. 

Yuuka swallowed hard, and straightened her back. She repeated, clearer... "While I was away, I missed you."

Akane's heart stuttered.

Something in her unravelled... Something like clarity and wonderment spreading warmth in her chest. 

Akane could only nod her head.

And somehow, _somehow_...

...With the soft look Sugai Yuuka was giving her, and the small, shy smile still on the girl's lips, it seemed that Yuuka understood her well.

  
* * *

  
Akane adjusted the strap of her duffel bag on her shoulder as she walked towards the locker room. Her bag was heavier than the usual. She had packed two extra sets of changing clothes. She was sure to need them. She had decided that she would make the most out of the 'opportunity' given to her.

Dinner with Sugai the previous night had been... _something_. It was her first dinner with Sugai Yuuka. Alone with the other girl. Akane didn't want to think of the implications of that particular 'first.' She shouldn't care about that. But deep inside, she knew--

But it was all in the past.

It was already afternoon that Friday. Classes were over. It was time to face what she had managed to not think about during her short reprieve with Sugai.

That her club was holding a weekend training camp for her.

Other chosen members were also encouraged to join, but nobody else knew that the weekend training was all _for_ her.

And solely _because_ of her.

Akane wasn't sure what to feel at first. Yes, there was an upcoming tennis competition where they were sending her and two more members to. It also wasn't the first time their club had held weekend training camps. But when both the club captain and club adviser told her the real reason, Akane was deflated, something she didn't show anyone.

They were days away from the start of exam week, and other students were obligated to spend their weekend at school, too, and help out... Only because she was getting 'sloppy.' Apparently, all the mistakes from her being distracted caused Matsumura- _sensei_ to worry, to put it mildly, for their ace player. Their club adviser didn't want to send their ace to the upcoming summer tennis camp with 'sloppy' skills. 

Akane could already hear the club captain, Sugamoto, discussing the schedule with someone before she could even fully get inside the locker room.

Akane breathed in. If she was given the chance to prove herself again, she would do her best at it. She would muster her willpower to show the whole tennis club that she was still their ace, that she wasn't worth one medal or trophy or title, that she could win more.

She straightened her back as she walked inside the locker room, ready to take on anything. 

"Right on time, Moriya," Sugamoto greeted.

"Moriya Akane." Koike Minami tilted her head at her.

Akane frowned at the new company, surprised and confused.

Sugamoto must have noticed her expression for she explained, "With just days before final exams, most of our members are busy.

Fortunately, Koike-san here volunteered to be the stand-in club manager for the weekend."

Akane's head swirled with mixed thoughts. She had told none of her friends about her weekend plans. She was even successful in keeping that info from Sugai. She wanted to right her mistakes on her own, with little help from anybody, with less people obligated by the whole thing.

But as Koike Minami looked at her with an open expression on her face, Akane swallowed down a bit of her pride, and appreciated the gesture a friend willingly did for her.

"Habu-chan would have also helped out if not for her dropping grade in History." Koike tucked her clipboard to her side, and smiled at her. "So you're stuck with me."

Akane wanted to squeeze Koike's hand in gratitude, but all she did was promptly bow her head. "I'm in your care then." 

And with the twinkle in Koike's eyes, she knew that for her friend, it was enough.

  
* * *

  
Everything was going well. There were two other members who were able to accompany her in training. Sugamoto and her other _senpai_ , Nakayama were also there to monitor their activities, which in Akane's opinion didn't change much from the usual drill they did during daily practice. The only difference was it would go on longer, and they would be staying within school grounds until Sunday morning.

They were already two hours into their work-out which composed of practicing service knocking down plastic bottles from across the court, and doing rallies opposite the two _senpais_ present...when she finally noticed.  
Akane's shoulders tensed. She froze on the spot. Her grip on her racket slackened. 

"Moriya!" Sugamoto yelled from the other side, calling her attention. She sent an angled serve over to her, which Akane almost missed.

"Focus!" Nakayama yelled, serving two consecutive balls over to her.

Akane sent them both back, but not without a pained grunt at the last one.

Her two other clubmates who were still knocking bottles at the other court had stopped at the abrupt change in the air. Matsumura- _sensei_ , who had been all the while sitting silently from the bleachers had told the others off with a stern voice.

A sudden urge to get away from everyone's watchful eyes overcame Akane. The sweat trickling down the back of her neck sent an unpleasant chill down her spine.

Her two senpais served again almost at the same, and Akane missed both.

"This isn't working, Moriya," Sugamoto commented.

Akane's jaw clenched in frustration, but she tried her best not to show it. She snuck a glance over at the building closest to the courts.

"Captain," she asked, almost pleaded. "Can I take a 10 minute break?"

Sugamoto eyed her grimly before relenting, but not without a, "Three laps around the court when you get back."

"Understood," Akane said, bowing hastily before running towards the building.

Her heart was thudding in her chest as she climbed the flight of stairs and ran down the hallway towards the assigned rooms they would be sleeping in.

And the long, straight-haired girl Akane had caught sight walking inside the building... She had hoped it would only be a trick of the glow of the setting sun, but--

Akane almost cursed out loud, but a frustrated growl from deep her throat escaped instead. Her vision had flashed red. As if her legs had minds of their own, she ran back down to the first floor, to the Home Economics classroom repurposed as their mess hall, where she knew Koike would be.

Her friend was by herself, checking off the list on her clipboard while counting the bento boxes stacked on a wide table, when Akane reached the room.

Akane wasn't sure why she was feeling that way, that frustrated...like she was betrayed even. Those emotions brewed inside of her as she stormed towards Koike.

"Why did you let her do this?" Her voice had come out low, and she couldn't remember the last time she had heard herself like that.

"Who?" Koike asked back, not looking up from her clipboard.

"You know _who_ ," she replied, almost snapping at Koike's nonchalance. 

Akane had prided herself in being in control of her emotions, almost always.

But lately, Sugai would just...

"Ah." Koike nodded, still not glancing up. "And I let _her_ do what exactly?"

"She--she's currently prepping the sleeping quarters." Akane had seen Sugai briefly, but it was enough. The girl was kneeling on the tatami mat floor, unfolding futons. The afternoon sun cast a deep orange glow against Sugai's profile, her long hair a dark contrast against the girl's pale skin... And there was a small smile adorning her face. Akane's heart had seized in her throat at the soft, beautiful sight before her. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough for her to run and find Koike.

"She volunteered like I did." Koike stood up straighter, and finally faced her. Her friend remained impassive, not meeting her fire.

"What about it?"

Akane clenched her hands into fists. She didn't tell Sugai about her weekend plans on purpose. She just--

"Seeing how you've become closer, why are you against this?" Koike asked gently, searching her face.

Akane could feel the stiffness of her back, the tightness in her muscles. She didn't want Sugai to be there. She didn't want Sugai to--

Koike nodded her head meaningfully at her. Her friend's gaze quickly shifted between looking at her and over her shoulder. "Sugai means well."

"But I don't want her here!" 

Koike's eyes widened in surprise at her mild outburst, then scowled directly at her right after.

There was a scuffle behind her, and Akane turned around in reflex, and caught sight of...Sugai Yuuka running out of the room.

Akane's stomach twisted harshly inside of her. She didn't mean to--

"You idiot."

Akane didn't wait for Koike to tell her more of the obvious. She broke into a run. She followed the light footfalls Sugai was leaving in her wake. Her heart thudding along with it.

  
* * *

  
Akane was able to catch up to Sugai at an empty hallway at the other side of the building. She was breathing heavily when she did. Was Sugai really that fast? Or was Akane too overcome with hurting Sugai that breathing had become difficult?

"Sugai, stop." Akane reached out and was able to hold Sugai back by the wrist. She made sure to be gentle as she did. She didn't want to hurt the girl physically as well.

But Sugai pried her wrist from Akane's grip. She took a step back, and turned away. At least, she wasn't running away anymore, and Akane was grateful of that small progress.

Akane didn't know where to start though. "I... Sugai, I--"

"I will ask Tanaka to pick me up before dinner," Sugai said in a rush. "You don't need to tell me to go away."

Akane shook her head. That wasn't it!

Her hand itched to hold Sugai's wrist again to... She didn't know. Just to maintain that contact with Sugai, maybe? To...anything!

"I don't--I'm not..." Akane struggled to begin. She balled her hands into fists on her sides. 

Sugai wrapped her arms around herself, while staring hard at the floor. Her jaw was visibly clenched, and her eyes were glassy, and Sugai looked... _hurt_.

Akane's heart clenched. "About earlier, I didn't mean it like that."

"It's...it's fine." Sugai still wasn't looking her way, and Akane found that...

"No, it's not fine." Akane shook her head again. "I was being..."

Akane swallowed hard. She shouldn't care really if Sugai had heard her a while ago. They weren't anything. Sugai just...got easily attached. Sugai could be with Matsumoto Maki, with anyone more beautiful than Akane, more open than her. Not with someone whose most they could give was a 'maybe.'

But why did Akane find herself unable to not care? Why was she aching to hold Sugai's soft hands into hers?

Why was she feeling so helpless to the dejected look on Sugai's face?

"I... I don't want you here because--"

"I'm sorry," Sugai cut her off.

"For what?"

"You get so annoyed of my presence that it's distracting you. I never wanted to make you feel like--"

"Sugai, no." Akane shook her head, almost weakly. "I..."

With shaky legs, and knees ready to buckle, Akane took a step closer towards Sugai. The cicadas were still shrill from a distance, but seemed to be muted by the drumming of her heart against her chest. 

"This camp is for me. Because my techniques are getting sloppy," Akane finally admitted. "Matsumura- _sensei_ heavily advised that I have it before sending me to tennis camp this summer."

Akane pursed her lips for a second, to hide the sudden, small tremble of her chin. She wasn't obligated to share her troubles with another person. Especially with Sugai Yuuka, the most recent addition in her life.

But as Sugai looked at her, still with a hurt expression on her face... Akane couldn't keep it to herself anymore. At least, for the moment.

"And I--I don't want you to see...me like..."

A soft expression started slowly spreading over Sugai's face, one Akane couldn't help but stare in wonder at that.

Sugai took a step closer towards her, and Akane could only stare at the decreasing distance. A small quake started increasing to thrashing in her chest.

Sugai Yuuka said, almost in a whisper, "You're already more than amazing to me, Moriya. Nothing can change how I see you."

"That wasn't... I..."

Except, it was exactly _that_.

And as Sugai snuck glances at her, Akane found herself unable to deny it.

There was a gentle breeze wafting in from down the hallway. There was something unraveling inside her chest, and the tight feeling in her throat loosened. And Akane wanted to close her eyes to surrender to those feelings.

But she couldn't. At least, not yet.

Sugai was still not directly meeting her eyes, and Akane could spot a shade of pink had tinted the girl's cheeks.

Akane drew in a shaky breath. She absentmindedly fidgeted with the watch on her wrist. "I...I thought you had plans with your big sister."

Sugai cleared her throat softly. "You're understaffed, and my sister understands. She _also_ knows how important tennis is to you."

Akane's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You told your sister about me?"

Sugai's face lit up as she replied with a shy, "Yes, I did."

As to what Sugai had told her sister about her, as to what was happening between them, it wasn't clear what Sugai had shared. But there was an onslaught of fuzziness in Akane's stomach that she still wasn't ready for. "Do your parents know?"

Sugai nodded her head again, almost immediately. "Yes, I called them before signing up."

"And they're...they're fine with it?"

Sugai nodded again... And that shine in her eyes, it hadn't left.

_This girl..._

Akane's chest ached, for even if she wasn't sure of what Sugai had told others about her, of the details, she knew that Sugai would only see the good things about her. As if Akane painted the sky into beautiful colors herself, as if she was solely responsible for all the bright days. 

Akane kept her hands clasped behind her, to stop its sudden nervous fidgeting. She softly said, "The futons available here are a bit lumpy, but if you don't mind that, feel free to stay." 

And the smile on Sugai's face was so bright that Akane felt it. Like she, herself, had placed the soft glow from the setting sun on their skin...

When Akane got back to practice after more than 10 minutes, she had never been that light on her feet as she ran the three laps around the court. Sugamoto didn't reprimand her any more than an "Another lap because you're late, Moriya!" 

She also knocked back eight bottles out of 10 serves before their adviser called it a day.

  
* * * 

  
Akane's shoulders were starting to feel a little sore. Although it was nothing compared to her post-competition condition in the past, it was enough for her to recognize and take a mental note of. She made sure not to let it show though. She was there to prove something, to her club, and to herself. She couldn't let her guard down even if they were done for the day.

Dinner time was running smoothly. The mess hall was bustling and lively. Sugamoto seemed somewhat relieved with her performance for the afternoon. Even though short, it was a sign that their weekend wouldn't be as frustrating for the senior members who were training them as expected. Her other clubmates seemed glad to be there, too. They even shared light conversations with Koike and Sugai who had managed to whip up decent full meals out of the club fund.

There was a sense of pride warming Akane's chest as she watched Matsumura- _sensei_ and her clubmates line up ahead of her, and compliment Koike and Sugai while food were handed out to them. They were having a yakiniku bento and hot miso soup for the night. There were also small bowls filled with fresh fruits sliced into cubes.

Sugai Yuuka was gracious to everyone. Her smiles, open. She bade them all to eat well while handing out bowls of steaming miso soup.

Tanaka was also there, arranging the water jug and glasses at the corner. Even if he must be the only full-grown male adult in the mess hall, he still managed to move about with discretion.

As Akane finally had her turn, she braced herself for something she wasn't sure what. Maybe for another onslaught of fluttering in her stomach she never could seem to be ready for?

"How are you doing, Moriya Akane?" Koike handed her a bento box... while eyeing her meaningfully. There was an amused glint in her eyes which Akane didn't acknowledge.

"All good, Koike Minami," Akane replied, accepting the bento box and bowl of fruits with a small bow. She placed them on her tray wordlessly.

And as she reached Sugai's area by the pot of miso soup, the onslaught was immediate. A twist and then a flutter in her stomach, that easily made her chest and cheeks warm.

"Good evening, Moriya," the girl greeted, not quite meeting her eyes. 

"Hi," Akane replied, quietly. She snuck a glance up at Sugai. The girl was wearing a plain dark blue apron, and her uniform sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. Her face was a little flushed, maybe from the steam coming from the soup pot near her.

Sugai's hands holding the bowl of miso soup visibly shook, and Akane almost jumped over the counter to grab the ladle herself.

Fortunately, Sugai quickly recovered, and offered her the bowl with both hands.

Akane received it with both hands as well, and if her fingers brushed deliberately over Sugai's, she wouldn't admit to it.

Sugai looked at her with eyes that were slightly wide. The steam from the soup cast an ethereal glow on the girl's face, and if Akane was momentarily mesmerized, she wouldn't admit to anything.

Akane caught a glimpse of Matsumura-sensei watching them from the long table they were all occupying. She didn't mind it. Instead, she turned towards her two friends, and tilted her head towards the small stack of bentos remaining. She said, "Let's have dinner together."

She turned to Sugai, and said, "Tanaka-san, too."

And if Sugai smiled widely at the invitation, Akane wouldn't know. She had ducked her head to hide whatever blush had crept up her face.

The yakiniku bento was delicious, and the miso soup had a calming effect on her especially after the long day.

Akane looked around, and listened to the overall chatter in the mess hall. Besides her, Tanaka and their club adviser were the only ones not in any conversation.

Even Sugai Yuuka was in one. The girl's presence was welcomed well within the group. Sugai had only been attending their school for three months, and compared to the rest, she was still considered new. But she was treated with familiarity and comfortable ease. Maybe a little too familiar, in Akane's opinion.

"Is there a club you're interested in, Sugai-san?" Kubo, one of Akane's clubmates, asked while cleaning up around her tray.

Sugai hummed, thinking.

"Not even Tea Ceremony Club?" There was a mischievous glint in the eyes of Akane's other clubmate, Kaneshiro.

Akane sharply eyed the guy who was thankfully sitting farthest from Sugai. News about Matsumoto Maki's confession must have gotten around already. Akane couldn't help the twist of _something_ in her stomach.

"Kaneshiro-san, you're unbelievable," Kubo playfully slapped his arm.

Koike straightened up from her seat beside Sugai and suggested, "Shall we start cleaning up?"

But none of that detered her clubmate in any way.

"Seems like you two had an eventful day yesterday," Kaneshiro added, not hiding his smirk as he glanced up at Akane and Sugai.

Akane was ready to shut down the conversation if hers and Sugai's dinner together the previous night would be brought up.

"I don't think I understand what you mean." Sugai tilted her head, confused. She snuck a glance over at Akane who only stared at her clubmates.

But why was Akane feeling ready to pounce?

"Don't mind him, Sugai-san." Kubo waved off the question. "He just had too much sugar for the night."

Kaneshiro went on. "I'm in the same class as Hashimoto, and he let slip that he asked Moriya-san out yesterday, too."

"And it's none of our business," Kubo ended the conversation herself, while offering a look of apology towards Akane.

She brushed it aside, and loosened the tension in her shoulders. Maybe it was relief that nobody else had known about her dinner together with Sugai.

All the while, Koike's eyebrows were raised at Akane, as if saying, 'I'll need details.' Then she excused herself, and started re-tying her apron back on.

Fortunately, their _senpais_ were already standing up, and cleaning up after themselves, and the bustle urged the rest to do the same. It ended whatever awkward atmosphere the slightly-intrusive topic had caused.

But realization had already crossed Sugai's face, and when their eyes met again, Akane only saw confusion in the girl's expression, and something somewhat close to...sadness?

Tanaka was silent and grim at the other side of the table, and he was looking at Sugai expectantly. But he also started moving as soon as Sugai stood up to help cleaning up.

Akane clenched her jaw, willing herself to not let the look on Sugai's face get to her. 

The night was going well. Their training weekend would go just as well. There was no need for any other emotions apart from relief from ending a tiring but good day.

  
* * *

  
Even as Akane and Koike were finally heading to the sleeping quarters, all freshened up, and in their comfortable sleep clothes, Akane didn't let her guard down. She would only do so when she was finally in a futon, minutes away from sleep.

Koike suddenly nudged her with her elbow. She commented, "That was a good thing you did just now. For Tanaka-san."

Akane shrugged away the compliment. It was only the right thing to do. She couldn't let Sugai's bodyguard-friend camp out on the school grounds while his charge was inside with them. So she asked permission from their club adviser, before asking Koike to invite Tanaka to sleep in a room next to the one they were occupying. 

Akane wasn't sure though if she did it mainly because it was the right thing to do, or if it was solely because Tanaka's proximity would put Sugai at ease. She didn't think more of it though, as they finally reached their room.

The room was already dim, except for the small night light Akane recognized as the same one Koike had in her own bedroom.

Sugai was sitting up on her futon next to the windows, browsing on her phone. And she was alone.

"Hey," Akane greeted. She noted the small jump in Sugai's frame. She bit down the question at the tip of her tongue, 'How long have you been alone?' and instead, asked, "Where's Kubo?"

Her clubmate was supposed to be sleeping with them.

"Matsumura- _sensei_ excused Kubo-san to sleep in the same room as her," Sugai replied softly. "Kubo-san's mother insisted on making her stay with a teacher."

Koike brushed past her, and lay down on the futon closest to the wall, leaving Akane to take the only futon left... Directly next to Sugai's.

Akane stood still by the door which she had closed shut behind her. She didn't know what to do with... Sugai was staring at her expectantly. The soft glow from her phone screen shone on the girl's face, and it was--

It was only when Koike had plugged her phone by the wall, and bade them a soft goodnight that Akane made a move. 

Akane could feel Sugai's eyes on her as she tucked herself under the thick blanket. Even if they were only days away from their summer break, it was unusually cold that night. One of the windows was stuck open, but she didn't look at it that long for Sugai was still openly staring at her in the dark.

It was making her feel naked, bare...

If she reached her hand out, she could touch Sugai...the other futon. And that was making her conscious of the short distance between them. And--

Without a word, Sugai lay down, and made herself comfortable as well.

And with the new stillness in the room, Akane scrolled through her phone to set her alarm, and send last updates to her parents. She didn't inform them all the details about the weekend training, but her parents seemed to be glad that Sugai and Koike were with her. If her father's text sounded like he was teasing her, Akane wouldn't fall for--

\- Thank you. 

Akane almost flinched at the sudden notification on her phone.

\- What you did for Tanaka. He told me.

Akane stared at the 'Sugai-san' on top of her screen. For a moment, she got stuck scrolling up their message thread. It was still short. The few messages mostly consisted of photos of the sky, or of the places Sugai had gone to with Koike and Habu after classes, the places Akane would also have seen if she didn't decline Sugai's invites. Akane had left them all on Read.

When Sugai placed her phone face down on her blanket, Akane was prompted to reply.

\- No need to mention it.

Before Akane could overthink if her message sounded curt or dismissive--

\- Was it true, about Hashimoto-san?

Akane snuck a glance at Sugai, who was staring hard at her phone. The girl's lips were formed into a slight pout as she waited for her answer.

\- Yes

Sugai turned to her side, and faced her. Akane copied Sugai's position, and also faced the girl. Sugai's face was still illuminated by the light on her phone, and Akane's was, too.

Akane caught a flicker of _something_...uncertainty, she guessed, on Sugai's face. So she asked back...

\- Is that what you really wanted to know?

Akane was treading on something she had initially didn't want to acknowledge, something she had little control of...

...Something that was making her feel all sorts of complicated emotions that would leave her grasping for what to do next.

All because of the girl before her.

Akane was in the middle of typing a brief good night to end the conversation altogether, when she caught Sugai shivering. The girl pulled the blanket to cover herself more, leaving only her hands and half of her face exposed. 

Akane looked at the windows, and she noticed the thin curtains of the only window stuck open just swayed. Sugai shivered again. And the other girl would have noticed Akane observing her if she wasn't caught up on what to reply to Akane's last message.

Instead of waiting for Sugai, Akane texted.

\- Are you getting cold?

\- I'm okay.

Akane breathed out through her nose. It was another one of those indirect answers Sugai seemed to like when she wasn't surprising Akane with sudden, brave confessions of 'I missed you,' or 'I like being around you.'

Text bubbles appeared again from Sugai, and judging from the focused look on the girl's face, it seemed like it would be a long and well-thought of message. One Akane wasn't sure if she had the courage to read, or not.

But as Sugai's hands typing on her phone trembled, Akane found that... She just...

"Get in."

Her voice came out soft, softer than intended. She lifted her blanket, and scooted back to make space...for the other girl.

All for someone who was making her feel all sorts of complicated emotions that would leave her grasping for what to do next.

But as of that moment, that wait between them, Akane was sure, and she just knew.

Sugai's eyes were round and gleaming under Koike's night light. They were hesitant, but they were shining with something Akane could tell as nervous anticipation. Like she was thinking of the implications if she ever did what Akane had asked.

The consequences, the implications, if that moment might hurt Akane in the end to even remember in the future, just like what had happened once before, Akane didn't think about it.

" _Yuuka_... Come here."

Akane's heart pounded, merciless inside the confines of her chest...

...As Sugai crossed that space between them without another beat, from under her covers to Akane's.

And the change in warmth was obvious, wrapping her completely. It was visceral. Like it could leave invisible marks all over her body.

Sugai was stiff as Akane tucked their shared blanket over the both of them. She made sure that Sugai's whole body was covered up. When Akane finally lay back down after, Sugai seemed to have relaxed. And if that observation caused a sudden wave of contentment inside of Akane, she didn't think more of it.

They ended up lying on their sides, facing each other. Neither of them shifted away at the closeness between their faces. Their hands were almost touching between them. Their socked feet aware of the distance. Their phones lay abandoned somewhere beside them, Akane didn't care where.

As Sugai met her eyes with an equally-open stare, Akane found herself welcoming whatever feelings Sugai's sole attention on her brought. The light coiling in her stomach, the warmth filling her chest, the tingling sensation spreading from the back of her neck to her jaw, making her want to smile. 

Even the lingering uncertainty brought on by the undefined thing between them that stayed unaddressed.

Akane wouldn't start overthinking. Not when the warmth emanating from Sugai was comforting her. Not when the relief of finally resting her body...her heart, was making her less strict with herself. Less unforgiving.

"That was unfair..." Sugai suddenly said, almost in a whisper. "...Calling me like that."

Akane shrugged. Her eyelids were beginning to drop. "Either that, or I would strain my shoulder further from lifting the blanket up too long."

She was getting sleepy, and more unguarded, but that didn't mean that she would admit to wanting to call Sugai by her first name, to wanting to test how those two syllables would roll on her mouth. 

_Yuuka_...

And Sugai perked up a bit, eyes instantly surveying her upper body, as if she could spot where she might be hurting. "Are your shoulders okay?"

Completely oblivious of the softness of everything that Akane was experiencing.

Sugai was...everything was just so warm...

Akane buried her head further onto the pillow they were sharing. She mumbled, "They're fine...just--"

But there was a gentle touch sliding up her upper arm, and before surprise could even catch up with her, she realized quickly that it was Sugai's hand. And without Sugai's usual cautiousness of making physical contact with Akane, the girl started gently massaging her upper arm and shoulder.

Akane's breath was caught in her throat, and as she watched Sugai's face up close, the look of concentration on the girl's face, Akane found it easier to breathe out after, even if shakily.

It wasn't even the dominant arm she used in tennis, but Akane had no heart to tell Sugai otherwise.

Sugai's hand continued applying pressure on her shoulder, and it wasn't even enough to loosen the knots in her muscles, but Akane didn't want to tell that to Sugai either.

Akane just let her.

And when she heard Sugai speak again, Akane was already giving in to sleep, her eyelids were growing heavy.

"Sleep well, _Akanen_..."

'It's 'Moriya' to you.' That reply was on the tip of her tongue. Akane still could say it, even as she was drifting off to sleep. But she found that she couldn't...didn't want to.

Akane just let Sugai Yuuka get away with it...

...Like she seemed to do that a lot lately.

She didn't want it to end.

_to be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the mistakes. I finished this last night while I was still woozy from too much tea. But I hope you enjoyed how Moriya Akane both deal and not deal with her emotions, and how Sugai Yuuka could be surprisingly open with hers.
> 
> (And I'm kinda liking Maki-san... *thinking)
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! And of course, comments and reviews are appreciated. Until the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

A miss during warm-up had cost a ball to hit the handle of her racket, and also catch the fleshy side of her thumb. For a second, after the sharp pain had ceased, and a chill ran through her spine, she thought that their last day would be ruined by it. Fortunately, her bones weren't hit, and it seemed like it would only bruise a bit.

  
But apart from that, Moriya Akane was killing it that Saturday. There was even a point that afternoon where she and their club captain, Sugamoto had a face off, and Akane was ruthless. She won the match over her other _senpai_ , Nakayama, as well. Her two _senpais_ took their losses in stride, and were nodding their heads proudly by the end of the long day. 

  
While out on the court, she was able to catch glimpses of Sugai Yuuka at various times. There was Sugai, along with Tanaka, the girl's bodyguard-friend, carrying the huge water cooler to the side of the court. Akane could tell that Tanaka was handling all the weight himself, but it was amusing to see Sugai frown at the effort of 'sharing' the weight with him. Before lunch time, Akane saw Sugai carrying a small stack of bento boxes to the mess hall. Then earlier, Sugai was talking on her phone while balancing a pile of towels with her free arm. And all of those times, Sugai Yuuka had this focused look on her face, as if one moment of negligence and she would let people down.

  
Akane felt bursts of warmth with every glimpse, and she took advantage of them, used that warmth in her chest to pump up her confidence. The word 'inspiration' had crossed her mind, but she only brushed it away. She wasn't going to get sentimental like that.

* * *

Akane had come from the locker room after sorting out her cubbyhole, when she first saw _her_.

A young woman with shoulder-length hair was bowing to a bulky guy wearing a black apron over a white uniform at the back entrance of their school. The headlights from the bulky guy's van illuminated the figures, and Akane was able to see how the woman was dressed -- in a white button-up and dark tailored pants.

  
There was something familiar with the way the woman turned her head to the side, as Tanaka got down from the van carrying a high stack of bento boxes in his arms. But Akane didn't think more of it as her clubmate, Kubo, got her attention from down the path.

  
"I wonder what's for dinner," Kubo thought aloud, as they started walking to their building. "I'm so hungry, I could eat my towel."

  
Akane nodded her head. They had finished a little later than their first night. Their club adviser, Matsumura, had wanted to make most of their last day so that all of them could celebrate a little after all their hard work, and sleep in a little longer before going home the following morning.

  
Akane saw it, though, as Matsumura's way of pushing her to socialize more with her own teammates. She was their ace, and Matsumura must have thought that being in that position could get lonely. If their adviser was right, Akane wouldn't admit to it.

  
"Kaneshiro brought a bag of games, and also a pack of sparklers," Kubo mentioned, giggling beside her. And in a softer tone, she added, "The sappy asshoIe."

  
Akane smiled a little, amused. They were silent as they walked to the mess hall...

  
...Where a bustle greeted them. Akane's eyes widened a little at the sight. Everyone seemed to see the day to be successful, and were louder and less formal than usual. Matsumura- _sensei_ was even sitting beside Kaneshiro, and laughing along to his jokes.  
Koike and Sugai were at the counter, doing last minute adjustments on the rows of food. They seemed to have foregone the assembly line, and arranged everything like a buffet. Just seeing the food across the room, Akane's stomach rumbled.

  
Akane also noticed that Sugai had on a slightly-wider smile while moving about. Akane wondered what had brought that on. A tiny pang of jealousy suddenly twisted in her as she thought of somebody else putting that smile on the girl's face, but Akane brushed the feeling away as sudden as it appeared. Akane wasn't like that. Not even with Makino Kanna, her ex-girlfriend, whom she also shouldn't be thinking about anymore.

  
And there was no point comparing because Sugai was only a friend, and Akane wasn't--

  
"Excuse me, Moriya-san."

  
Akane instinctively stepped aside, in time as Tanaka walked in with an armful of bento boxes. A loud cheer erupted in the room at the sight of him.

  
She would have found it amusing if not for the sudden prickling on her skin, as if she was being scrutinized. And when she glanced out the door leading back to the pathway, the young woman from before was there, watching her...with unwavering intensity.

  
Akane bowed at the newcomer, who returned her greeting. But she had no time to wonder who the woman was, for Sugai had suddenly appeared in front of her, with that same wide smile. Akane's heart had expanded a centimeter.

  
"How are you, Moriya?" the girl asked, smiling. Her eyes disappearing into dark crescents.

  
Sugai was wearing her hair up in a high ponytail, and there were stray strands on the sides of her face. Akane's fingers itched to tuck them behind Sugai's ears.

  
It was the first time they had been face-to-face since that early morning. Akane had woken up earlier than everyone it seemed, and Sugai was still asleep beside her. They had maintained the same position throughtout the night, on their sides, facing each other. The only difference was, Sugai's hand was on her forearm. Its gentle hold on her wrist brought an immediate blush on Akane's face. Sugai's hand was just so soft...

  
The early morning sky was still dark. Akane had woken up seven minutes before her alarm, and she found it unappealing to get up immedately... Not when she was warm and cozy. Not when Sugai was that close.   
And she used her spare seven minutes to stare at Sugai's face.

  
Sugai looked so peaceful in her sleep. Her face was devoid of any worry, or any of the harsh emotions Akane had seen on it, or she, herself, had caused Sugai. 

  
And Akane's heart ached with something she could understand as... _longing_.

  
Longing for something that was within her grasp.

  
Yet she couldn't...wouldn't touch.

  
Sugai had suddenly stepped a little closer. Akane snapped out of her thoughts, the memory of her breaking into a run alone that early morning, the sharp gasp of cold air into her lungs, they went away along with it. 

  
"I asked Tanaka-kun to set aside a bento for you, so you don't need to line up," Sugai whispered, as if it was a secret.

  
"We're having chicken _teriyaki_ tonight," the girl added, as if pleased to share the info. "And also _agedashi_ tofu, and also _takoyaki_."

  
Akane nodded her head. She watched her clubmates, and everyone was on the move to get dinner. Koike and Tanaka were admiring the table filled with food with pride on their faces. They also shared a discreet high-five between themselves.

  
She turned her attention back to the other girl, formulating words to thank her. "Sugai..."

  
"Hmmn?"

  
"I just--"

  
Sugai suddenly let out a small, surprised sound, and dashed out of the mess hall, and towards the pathway, and into the arms of the woman Akane had forgotten was still there.

  
The two shared a tight hug. Sugai's arms were around the woman's waist, clutching on to the fabric of the woman's button-up. The woman chuckled, and said something on Sugai's ear, earning an embarassed whine from the other girl.

  
Akane watched it all with a _conflicting_ warm rush of emotions in her chest. Sugai seemed really happy, the happiest Akane had seen her...

  
As soon as Sugai and the unknown woman had separated, Sugai caught her observing them, and waved her over. Akane complied wordlessly, surprised, and still hang up on the bright look on the other girl's face.

  
"It's nice to finally put a face to the name," the stranger commented as soon as Akane was close.

  
Akane turned to Sugai with a questioning glance. She was getting flustered with the attention the two were giving her...and also with the intense glint on the unknown woman's eyes.

  
But as she saw the two up close, side-by-side, Akane noticed...

  
"I'd like you to meet my older sister, Sugai Ayaka," Sugai said, beaming.

  
The young woman's bow was formal.

  
Akane bowed back, hiding her hand with the small injury behind her. She was suddenly conscious of her clothes, and her bare legs uncovered by her tennis shorts. Was her own hair tied up okay? She hadn't seen herself in the mirror since the previous night. "I'm Moriya Akane."

  
"Yes." The older Sugai nodded her head, searching Akane's face. "I've heard a lot about you from Yuuka."

  
Akane didn't know what to say. She couldn't even say, 'All good things, I hope,' since she wasn't a complete angel towards the younger Sugai. She had declined a lot of invites, only granting one and Sugai didn't even invite her out that time. She had also let a cupboard door hurt Sugai. Akane was cold, and sometimes mean, and...

  
Oblivious of Akane's inner predicament, Sugai Yuuka seemed to be contented with regarding them both with a pleased expression on her face. How much had the younger Sugai shared with her sister? What did Sugai say about her feelings for Akane? Did the older Sugai know anything?

  
Because so far, Akane knew little.

  
"Are you excited for tennis camp this summer, Moriya-san?" Sugai Ayaka asked.

  
"Yes. I'm especially looking forward to the professional athletes who would be training us." Akane couldn't help the puff of confidence in her chest. It would also be held again in Osaka, and it had been a year since she had last been there.

  
Sugai Ayaka nodded her head, humming in approval. "I hope it would be as exciting as you expect it to be and more."

  
Akane thanked the young woman promptly.

  
Then Sugai Ayaka turned to her sister, and gave her a once-over. "Are you taking care of yourself? You haven't told us about your recent trip. Mother is patiently waiting for you to call about that. Tanaka-kun will let me know if something's amiss, of course, but I..."

  
But her words trailed away as the younger Sugai shook her head, as if silently asking her to stop. The look on Sugai's face was almost pleading.

  
Akane stood up straighter. That was new. What was happening?

  
"Fine, fine..." Sugai Ayaka raised her hands up in surrender. " _Oneechan_ is shutting up now."

  
And Akane grew silent beside the two sisters, ridden with thoughts and the new info. Sugai wasn't with her family during the time she was away. The other girl had the right to be wherever she wanted to go. Akane was just--

  
"Moriya-san, should we get back inside?" Sugai Yuuka suggested. Her hand lingered on Akane's upper arm as if leading her away without touching her. "You must be hungry."

  
Akane nodded her head absentmindedly, distracted.

  
Sugai Ayaka was still watching them from the same spot, when Sugai Yuuka led Akane back to the mess hall.

  
There was a niggling feeling at the back of her neck, and Akane wasn't...

  
Not even Sugai Yuuka's smile managed to take that doubt away. Especially when that smile seemed a little dimmed, and once again, didn't reach the girl's eyes.

* * *

They stayed up later that night. It was already close to midnight but they were too buzzed and warm that nobody seemed to want to head to bed first. At least that was what Akane felt as they all gathered by the bleachers, sitting around a small bonfire lit in a can. She was seated in between Koike and Sugai. She was full and warm from their dinner, and to be honest, from the company, as well. She was also nursing a hot compress on her shoulder, and it was soothing to her muscles.

Akane stole a glance at Sugai on her left while the club captain, Sugamoto was telling a scary story a former _senpai_ had experienced at the gym. Sugai's back was rigid, and her eyes weren't blinking, completely focused on the story. Akane already knew what would happen in it so she just waited for the conclusion of the story where--

"Bam!"

Koike and Sugai squealed along with Kubo, who still fell for it even after hearing the story a handful of times before. And her _senpais_ and Matsumura _sensei_ laughed, highly amused of the reaction.

Tanaka had come out of the shadows at Sugai's squeal, alert, and immediately analyzing the situation. Akane caught Sugai furtively send a small wave, a signal that sent Tanaka back to the side without everyone else noticing.

Akane watched it all, slightly fascinated at the bond the two had formed over the years. She also wondered how much of Sugai's life Tanaka had witnessed...

Her musings was suddenly interrupted by one of her co-members, Kaneshiro, who was handing over what was left of the sparklers he had brought with thinly-veiled excitement.

There were only two left, though, and Sugai would be left with none. Without hesitation, Akane gave one to Koike, and handed the last one to Sugai. "Here. Take it."

Koike cleared her throat softly beside her, but Akane ignored the discreet teasing easily.

"Oh, I'm all good," Sugai said, waving the offer away.

Akane just took the girl's hand, and made her hold the sparkler. And if she squeezed Sugai's hand in reflex before letting go, she didn't think too much of it.

"I...I'll light it for _us_ then," Sugai said in a soft voice.

Akane found herself staring at the little lights from the sparklers reflected on her...friend's face, and asking how could someone as attentive and affectionate as Sugai be that unaware of the effect...

But she internally shook those thoughts away. Akane just wasn't ready to face it... Whatever the small gestures...the stolen glances, and hidden blushing all meant.

However that might be, Akane wasn't going to be stubborn about showing her appreciation towards the other girl. She should also thank the rest of the people around her, but she decided to do that at another time, not when the little lights were still dancing on Sugai Yuuka's beautiful... on Sugai's face.

Before the sparkler completely ran out, Akane said, in a quiet voice, hoping that only Sugai could hear, "Thank you for helping out... For being here."

Sugai Yuuka had looked at her with such wonder in her eyes that Akane had to remind herself to breathe. There was a rush of warmth that washed over her so overwhelming that Akane had to remind herself to pull herself back to earth. And Yuuka's face had looked so radiant, both from the sparklers and from what Akane hoped was happiness, that she had to admit that something in the universe had changed...had tilted for her.

* * *

Akane wasn't sure what the sleeping quarters would be like. Would they share the same futon, and end up close to Sugai again? Maybe she could run another lap outside as to not find out that soon. She would be so tired that once her back touched her assigned futon, she would immediately fall asleep.

  
But she wasn't like that, running away from something she wasn't ready to face. At least, she didn't want to be like that.

  
And she wouldn't waste a good shower and her nightly skin care regimen just to get dusty and sweaty again.

  
Maybe Sugai was already asleep, so there would be no what-ifs anymore. Akane would go straight to sleep, as well.

  
But as she reached the room, she wasn't sure if she should let go of the breath she was holding, or breathe in some more.

  
Sugai Yuuka was sitting up on her futon, still by the windows. The light from her phone was glowing on the girl's face. Her expression was contemplative. Sugai was so focused on her phone that she only noticed Akane's arrival when she slid the door close behind her.

  
"Hi..." Sugai greeted softly, not taking her eyes off of her.

  
Akane fought of a shiver down her spine. She replied, just as soft, "You're still up."

  
The room was lit again by Koike's night light, and its owner was already sound asleep at the other side of the room.

  
The previously-problematic window of their sleeping quarters was budged out of being stuck, probably by Tanaka, and closed properly. That night, the room was well-ventilated, and the temperature was just right. 

  
There was no longer an excuse to share a futon.

  
Akane walked to her futon with tentative steps. She could feel Sugai's eyes on her, and it was making her conscious of her choice of sleep wear, which was a plain white shirt and cotton shorts. But as she snuck a glance at the other girl, she could only see fondness on Sugai's face.

  
She averted her eyes, and made herself comfortable in her own futon. She placed her phone beside her, and lay on her back. She settled in that position, staring at the ceiling until sleep would come. She heard Sugai follow suit, until all could be heard were soft rustling of clothes, and the stillness of the late night.

  
It was a jampacked day that had ended better and more fun than she would admit. Her small injury didn't bruise that much, and the pain had subsided and only bothered her a bit.

  
Akane was planning her tasks for the following day, probably starting on studying for their tests as soon as she got home, when her phone lit up.

  
It was Sugai Yuuka.

  
\- I'm glad you and my sister have met.

  
Although she admittedly felt some kind of pressure meeting someone from the Sugai family. She and Sugai Yuuka were just friends, but...after what she had learned earlier about the youngest Sugai, being introduced to a family member felt more _daunting_ than Akane had expected.

  
\- Where is she now? You said you were supposed to spend the weekend together.

  
\- She's at the house, sleeping already.

  
\- Exactly what we should be doing too.

  
\- Not yet!

  
Akane was exhausted from the long day. Her shoulders were aching a little, even with the help of the cold and hot compress earlier. The side of her hand near her thumb was also stinging while texting.

  
But Sugai Yuuka...

  
\- Please?

  
...Akane could only give in. She opened up a topic instead. A safe one to bring up.

  
\- Are you ready for the upcoming tests?

  
\- Not really. I'm already familiar with them.

  
Akane wondered what Sugai meant by that. It made her think as if Sugai had taken them already. Her maybe-pointless musings was cut when another message popped up.

  
\- Lighting up sparklers around a bonfire was lovely, right?

  
Akane breathed in shakily as she reread Sugai's text...and as she remembered that moment after dinner.

  
\- Yeah, it was.

  
There was a soft sound of rustling clothes, and the lighting changed from the corner of her eye as Sugai turned to her side and faced her.

  
The side of Akane's face tickled from the attention.

  
\- Did you wish you were with a different company instead of with me?

  
Akane's eyebrows slightly rose at Sugai's question.

  
\- And Minami-chan?

  
The name of their other friend felt like it was quickly thrown in to make it less embarrassing for her, and Akane's cheeks just grew warm at the thought. She didn't know what had gotten into her to indulge this kind of talk between them. She could just send 'sleep well,' and end the night.

  
But Akane just...

  
\- What do you mean?

  
...Just a little longer.

  
Sugai let out a deep breath beside her.

  
\- You know, like Hashimoto-san?

  
Akane bit the insides of her cheeks to stop a smile from breaking. Was Sugai stewing on the fact that someone else had also confessed to her, and not know of her answer? Sure, Akane wasn't open with her personal life, and most people respected that. But Sugai could also be texting with her as Hashimoto's girlfriend, and no one knew yet.

  
\- Do you want me to share moments like that with Hashimoto?

  
Sugai breathed out again, and it sounded a little offended, Akane noticed.

  
\- No

  
The monosyllabic response came quickly.  
And before Akane could type another reply--

  
\- But if you're dating him, my opinions don't matter.

  
There was that shiver again, spreading from the back of her neck, making her want to smile.

  
\- Why do you sound angry?

  
\- I do not.

  
Sugai breathed out. And it clearly wasn't quiet.

  
\- I can hear you breathing loudly.

  
\- It wasn't me.

  
\- It sounded like a hippo.

  
Akane turned to her side, and came face-to-face with the other girl. The light from Sugai's phone illuminated the girl's face, and Sugai was pouting a bit.

  
Akane couldn't help the soft snicker that escaped from her. She typed again.

  
\- Are you mad at me?

  
Sugai only narrowed her eyes directly at her, over their phones.

  
Akane looked away, and slightly burrowed her face deeper onto her pillow. If she was hiding a blush, the room was so dim, nobody could prove that.

  
Sugai still didn't reply to her, and Akane didn't relent.

  
\- Yuuka?

  
Sugai gasped at her latest message. The girl stared back and forth between her own phone and Akane's eyes, looking surprised.

  
But Akane should've remembered that Sugai Yuuka had been surprising her a lot more in the past few weeks they had been together, and that the girl still could...

  
\- I don't think I can ever be mad at you.

  
Akane bit her lower lip as a feeling, both foreign and familiar, warmed her chest. She welcomed it. That night, she didn't fight the swelling in her chest. After everything... After some of the things that she had learned about the girl, Akane believed that.

  
Akane placed her phone face down behind her, and made herself comfortable on her side, still facing the other girl.

  
Sugai searched her face with eyes wide with curiosity. She had also stopped texting. She mirrored Akane's actions, turned off her phone, and placed it behind her. All without breaking eye contact with her.

  
The seconds stretched with neither of them moving.

  
The night light reflected on Sugai Yuuka's dark eyes. And Akane watched every flicker of her eyelashes, every glint in the girl's eyes. Openly. Unabashed.

  
Akane still didn't know what to do about Sugai Yuuka's immovable faith in her.

  
But as of that night, it didn't scare her.

  
Akane slowly moved her hand, the one with the small injury, towards Sugai until it was between them. The tatami mat was a little rough against the back of her hand. She whispered, "My thumb was hit by a ball earlier."

  
Worry quickly passed over Sugai's face, and Akane's heart thudded in her chest when she caught it. 

  
Sugai wordlessly reached for her hand, a little cautiously, as if she might scare Akane away with what she was about to do.

  
In another time, maybe, Akane would shy away from the touch.

  
But not that night.

  
Akane waited patiently, staring at the decreasing distance between their hands and at the solemn look on Sugai's face.

  
And when Sugai finally enclosed her hand in between hers, Akane's breathing stuttered.

  
The gentleness had surprised her.

  
Sugai nestled Akane's hand in her palm, so that she could no longer feel the roughness of the tatami mat. And with the other hand, Sugai slowly ran the pad of her thumb around the fading discoloration that was obvious under the night light.

  
It wasn't swelling anymore, but it was still a bit tender.

  
And Sugai Yuuka, and her touch were just as tender.

  
Tiny jolts of electricity had spread up her arm, as if Sugai Yuuka was filled with tiny bursts of energy contained under thin, soft skin.

  
And as Akane was drifting off to sleep, she decided that... that maybe Yuuka was exactly that.

  
Someone that held that much life in her that nobody could know unless touched.

  
Her eyelids were getting heavy. Sugai's soft strokes on her skin were sending her slowly to slumber. 

  
"Sleep well, _Akanen_..." Yuuka's whispers echoed within her, joining the early makings of her dreams.

  
"Hmmn..." She should have mumbled "You, too," at least return the same courtesy towards her friend, but she was already drifting off.

  
Instead, Akane, with her movements already slow and heavy with sleep, shifted her hand, until Sugai's fingers were loosely entwined with her own. And she hoped that Sugai Yuuka would see that that gesture was the most she could do amid the haze of exhaustion and sleep.

  
Akane was just so warm all over, and it was of the softest kind...

* * *

Tanaka Hayato had been working for the Sugai family ever since he graduated from high school. He didn't have any clear vocation in mind back then. He just wanted to be of service to somebody he could stand at least, and gradually respect and look up to. So when the right-hand man of the Sugai patriarch suggested that he should come work for him as an errand boy, he just went on with it. When he found himself still working for the Sugais five years later as part of the family's private security detail, proficient in self-defense, able-bodied, well-taken cared of, and not overworked, he didn't want to be anywhere else.

  
Even as he was assigned to look after the youngest in the family, Yuuka, who was only five years old then. 

  
"How come you don't talk much?" Those were Sugai Yuuka's first words to him after being introduced to the girl days before. Her head tilted to the side, and her curious wide eyes, looking up at him.

  
She was reading...supposed to be reading with her mother in the back garden, while he was standing guard a few meters away from them. 

  
"My name is Yuuka, but some people call me ' _ojousama_.'" The little girl pouted. "I don't like how it sounds."

  
Hayato didn't reply, but that didn't stop his new charge from talking.

  
" _Oneechan_ calls me 'dumpling' sometimes, but it makes me laugh so I like that name."

  
He didn't know yet if he should be amused or annoyed at the chatter.

  
"But I like 'Yuuka' the most. Don't you think it sounds pretty?"

  
The skills he had trained hard for for years would probably not be of any use watching over a kid, but he had told himself that it would only be temporary. He would just had to muster more of his patience listening to a little girl's usual juvenile stories.

  
13 years later, and he didn't want to look after any other Sugai family member. As long as his charge, Yuuka, would let him.

  
"Can we pass by the school again?"

  
It was becoming a habit, a habit his charge had adapted after a month of attending her new school. After parting ways with her new friends, Habu and Koike, she would ask that.

  
"As you wish, Yuuka-sama." Hayato smoothly maneuvered the car towards the next curb, to the direction of the high school.

  
He would park the car a block away from the front school gate, and the youngest Sugai would walk the rest of the way to school...

  
...To check if the tennis courts were still being used. To see if Moriya was still training.

  
Most times, training would still be ongoing, and they would watch for a few minutes until the youngest Sugai was satisfied. 

  
And that early in the evening, Moriya was still training. She was wearing the tennis club jacket since it had been a little nippy the past two days. It was in red. It suited her, and his charge seemed to think so, too, seeing the shine on Sugai Yuuka's eyes.

  
"She's amazing, Tanaka-kun..." she said under her breath, like there was swelling in her chest, and pressure in her lungs.

  
"There's no doubt, Yuuka-sama," Hayato replied promptly.

  
Sugai Yuuka nodded her head, smiling a little.

  
They watched Moriya Akane from afar in silence for a good six minutes before he suggested that they go home. He had caught his charge shaking a little from the cold as well. She must have forgotten her school blazer again at the back of the car.

  
"Did you leave your blazer again somewhere, Yuuka-sama?" he asked, after noticing that the backseat was empty besides the girl's shoulder bag.

  
"I forgot it at the cafe," the youngest Sugai admitted, tilting her head, a little embarrassed. "Koike-san already texted me that she has it."

  
"Understood, Yuuka-sama." Hayato walked to the trunk of the car to get one of the spare thermal jackets stored in there.

  
"There's no need," the girl replied, already reaching for her school bag, and pulled out her old, dark-green jacket from her former school club in Tokyo. Apparently, she was still carrying it around.

  
Hayato wordlessly waited for his charge to put it on, and get in the backseat, before they finally started their drive back to the manor.  
It used to worry him whenever he saw that old jacket, but that night, he wasn't. The small smile from earlier had returned and never faded from the youngest Sugai's face all through their car ride.

  
Sugai Yuuka was smiling to herself, even if her chin was partially hidden by the collar of the old club jacket.

  
It still never failed to surprise him, noticing the small but new changes in the girl.

  
"Good day, Yuuka-sama?" Hayato asked, meeting his charge's eyes through the rear-view mirror.

  
"Hmmn..." The girl sat up straighter, eyes widening before she purposely stared outside at the deep violet sky.

  
The smile never left, and he was glad.

  
Hayato was no longer waiting for the reply when he heard...

  
"Yes. Today was good."

* * *

Once the following week had started, everyone seemed to be swept back in a routine. Especially Moriya Akane. She had pushed herself to concentrate on her studies alone, even if last-minute preparations for summer training camp were also going on.

  
Their semester test week had been so hectic that although she could see her friends and classmates every day, they also didn't see each other. There was no room for non-academic-related activities or interactions longer than "How's your test?" "That one was a little hard," and "Goodluck."

  
Not even to sit down, and rest their backs, or enjoy a proper meal without reading a book in between bites.

  
It also didn't help that Akane's thoughts would drift back to that last night of their weekend training camp. It would happen whenever she grew distracted from studying or she had a minute to rest her mind.

  
Specifically of that certain spark in Sugai's eyes that felt familiar, something Akane hadn't seen in a long while. She couldn't remember where she had seen it last, and it nagged at her every time she wasn't thinking about their tests or about packing for the summer.

  
So when Akane had spotted Sugai Yuuka silently walk past the shelves of the library where she was catching up on her reading...

  
\- ?

  
It was a silly message to text, if it could even be called a 'message.' But Akane didn't know what to say to catch the girl's attention.

  
And as Sugai's eyes lit up as she glanced at her own phone, that last night from the previous weekend had crossed her mind again. 

  
\- ? ?

  
Sugai's reply came, and an abrupt laugh came out from Akane's throat. She hid the sound by pretending to cough on the crook of her elbow.

  
Thankfully, the other students didn't look up from their respective notes, not bothered by what she did. Nobody except Sugai Yuuka who had finally noticed her from across the wide room. 

  
Akane sat up straighter as she met the other girl's curious stare. Her heart had skipped a beat, but she ignored it. Just like how she ignored the adorable tilt of Sugai's head as they continued to stare at each other. Shouldn't she find that not cute at all?

  
What was even happening?

  
Before she could process her thoughts, if she even wanted to process them at all, she had patted the empty seat next to her, while eyeing Sugai, silently inviting the girl over.

  
Sugai was frozen in place for three seconds before the girl slid her phone inside her skirt pocket, and made her way over. Her steps were a litte slow, but Sugai's posture was sure, and her eyes never left Akane's.

  
And that was when Akane fully got a grasp of what was happening, of what she did.

  
She broke the eye contact, almost averting her eyes by ducking her head. Then she checked the seat beside her, and quickly gathered the papers and the pens that she had unconsciously spread out on the table.

  
When Sugai had finally sat down, Akane had gone back to her reading, and refused to acknowledge the decreased space between them. She didn't want to make it awkward for Sugai... Akane also didn't want to become more conscious of the warmth emanating from the new presence beside her...

  
...And of the blush that warmed her cheeks as Sugai--

  
"Thank you," Sugai whispered, a little breathy.   
Akane didn't look up from her reading. She cleared her throat softly, and gave a curt nod as reply. The words were swimming before her. A sudden assault of butterflies had started in her stomach, and they weren't welcome at all. 

  
How long was it until their next test?

  
Was the text size of their history book always been this small?

  
Did Sugai change her perfume?

  
Did Sugai even wear perfume before?

  
Whatever Sugai was wearing, the scent was making her a little lightheaded. Like her mind was hazy with something that was making her more open, and less stubborn. It was a little dangerous.

  
She couldn't think straight.

  
Akane could feel Sugai's eyes on her skin, making her pulse quicken with--

  
She discreetly took out her phone, and quickly typed under the table before the student assistant of the library could catch her.

  
\- We should be studying, Sugai-san.

  
\- Why aren't you?

  
Different thoughts were running in Akane's head. What could she say? That she was so distracted by Sugai's proximity that it was obvious that her brain was processing none of the words?

Without any reply at the ready, Akane discretely reached for Sugai's phone on the girl's lap to cover the screen, and stop Sugai from replying at all. But her hand had miscalculated, and fumbled for a bit, and...and landed on... Sugai's thigh instead.

Sugai froze at the contact.

Akane did, too. Her eyes mirrored the way Sugai's had widened. And there was a sudden tinge of redness on the girl's cheeks, and Akane wouldn't be surprised if she was blushing as well. A sudden rush of heat had shot up to her face, and her heart thudded with the same intensity. 

Her fingers seemed to also have stopped receiving messages from brain for they just stayed there... Didn't move away, or... The only good thing Akane could get from it was that her fingers didn't dare press onto the fabric of Sugai's skirt, and feel more of the warmth of Sugai's skin. Akane still blamed the whole situation all on not thinking first before inviting Sugai over. They could have done some reading on separate tables, but no! She had to pat the chair next to--

Sugai pursed her lips together, and tilted her head. She whispered, "Do you... I think, you should..."

Akane felt Sugai's fingers tapping over the tip of her fingers, as if nudging her to attention.

It was effective. Akane took back her hand as if she was burned, and laid them flat on her own lap. "Yeah, I--I know, I just..."

And if the situation wasn't awkward enough, Akane caught sight of Matsumoto Maki from across the library... looking at the both of them.

Sugai had seen her, too, and her cheeks grew even more red.

Mixed emotions were tumbled into a mess inside of Akane. Embarrassment was the strongest. She was also nervous, and a little giddy, but why was she feeling a little smug? Especially after catching Matsumoto Maki watching them?

Sugai quickly bowed at the third year in greeting before turning back to her books which were still unopened in front of her.

Akane had a sudden urge to be reckless, to show off... But to do exactly what, she wasn't sure. As to why she suddenly felt that way towards her older schoolmate who was nothing but polite and pleasant to everyone...

As sudden as that urge had come, it also faded soon, and it was replaced by a little bit of shame...

She and Sugai were only friends. Whatever Sugai was feeling for her, they would also fade eventually. People would get hurt. Time would go to waste. She would be told _again_ , "It was fun while it lasted, Akane."

...And eventually sadness.

Her friend had been stealing glances at her. Akane could feel it on her skin. Sugai was probably checking on the serious expression that had fallen on her face. And when Akane glanced up on instinct, she was right, Sugai was searching her face. 

And there, Akane saw, amidst the look of curiosity and concern on Sugai's countenance, was that particular glint on Sugai Yuuka's eyes that had been haunting her thoughts since the night of the sparklers.

  
* * *

  
It was only when Akane was completely past the gate of their property when Koike snapped out from her seemingly-deep thinking. Her friend had been standing still at the side of the street, staring at her shoes.

Akane greeted her friend. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Akane-san," Koike greeted back. She didn't smile. Her eyes were still pre-occupied, clouded with whatever thoughts swirling in her head.

Akane waited for her neighbor-friend to reach her side before she resumed her walk towards school. They used to walk to school together everyday when they were younger. It only dwindled to a stop when Akane started taking tennis seriously. Koike couldn't keep up with her earlier walks to school. Neither of them minded. Habu started walking with Koike instead. Akane's then-girlfriend and former clubmate, Makino Kanna, was able to join her nine blocks before reaching school grounds, and those nine blocks were filled with laughter, and fun, sometimes intimate, conversations about their dreams and plans for the near future. There were also brief kisses under a single umbrella, or whenever they were just the two of them in a quiet street.

"When are you leaving for camp?" Koike asked. Her eyes were still trained on the ground.

"This Sunday afternoon."

"Do you want me to send you off?"

"No, it's okay. Matsumura- _sensei_ already arranged a cab to take me straight to the station."

"That's good."

Akane pursed her lips together, searching her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

Koike breathed out heavily. "You're leaving me behind, and I'm overcome with melancholy."

Akane laughed to herself. But she didn't press Koike, knowing that her friend would eventually say what was on her mind.

"Habu-chan gave me a souvenir yesterday night."

"Hmmn, from her recent family trip, right?"

"Yes. They went to Hokkaido," Koike almost mumbled. Her eyes stayed trained to the ground. "I got a box of premium caramel candies from a famous shop only found there." 

Akane nodded her head. She briefly wondered if her parents had sent her anything from that shop in their past travels. She also wondered why Koike was telling her that with a somber look on her friend's face.

"How are your tests so far?"

  
"Mii-chan..." Akane softly said. She let her question go unsaid. It was unlike her friend to not be upfront about things. She was starting to get a little worried for Koike. Her neighbor-friend even lasted the whole night before waiting for her by the gate, seeking her out.

  
Koike pursed her lips together, and looked ahead. There was a frown on the girl's small, pale face. And Akane should have known to breathe in preparation first, for Koike's next words were--

  
"The box was labeled 'Yuuka.'"

  
Akane's grip on her school bag tightened. Her stomach twisted, sending a wave of unpleasant chill through her whole body. It was harsh and cold. Akane clenched her jaw to hide that green-eyed emotion. Her head kept on rationalizing things for her. She and Sugai were just friends. Sugai can accept gifts from anyone. Habu can give presents to Sugai. Akane didn't have the right to be upset about anything Sugai and Habu were sharing with each other. Akane and Sugai were _just_ friends. There was always a sound explanation.

  
But as Koike breathed in shakily beside her, why was Akane feeling bad for Koike...and for herself?

"Koike, I..."

"Come on, we're going to be late."

Akane pursed her lips together. What was she even planning to tell Koike? When all she could do was feel the hollowness in her heart, as if the whole day was already done and she was already tired from it.

Even if there were only two days of tests left ahead of them, Akane still asked, "If you want someone to study together with, just message me."

Koike nodded her head, giving her a small smile. It was wan, but Akane knew that it was the most that Koike could give at that moment.

  
* * *

It was time to go home. The cicadas were already shrill and loud at some parts of the school grounds. Yuuka had been scared of them ever since she was little. She had never experienced them back in Tokyo, or at least around their building back in Tokyo. 

  
And already three months in at her new school, the last day of the semester even, she still didn't know what to feel about them.

  
Tanaka was already waiting for her by the school gates, and she was assured repeatedly that he wasn't bored of waiting. He already knew what she was doing after classes even if she no longer had a permanent club. That if she wasn't already out with Koike and Habu, she would be dropping by the tennis club lockers.

  
Tanaka was probably working on his novel in the car, or shadowboxing, or flexing his muscles... Or maybe scaring little kids away. Yuuka laughed to herself at the thought.

  
"Habu's not here."

  
Yuuka almost jumped in surprise.

  
Moriya was eyeing her with a slight frown on her face. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her face was bare and devoid of any traces of sweat or dirt from practice. She was breathtaking.

  
Yuuka straightened up. "I... I was waiting for you."

  
"Why?"

  
Yuuka wondered what was up with Moriya. She didn't indulge Moriya about the why, though. She only wanted to know about her classmate...friend's day. 

  
It was the last day of the semester, and tests were finally over. Most, if not all, of the students in their school had left, gone to wherever they wanted to spend their first hours of freedom. And Yuuka would like to take a chance to prolong their talk as long as Moriya would allow. They hadn't talked at all since that day at the library.

  
"You had a good meeting?" She asked.

  
Moriya stayed silent. She must be occupied thinking about the upcoming summer camp.

  
Yuuka considered asking the other girl out to have dinner before going home. But with the way Moriya was standing with her back a little slumped... 

  
"Can I walk you home?" She asked instead.

She wasn't really expecting anything. She just wanted to see Moriya longer, before the summer camp, before her own family could whisk her away to--

  
"Okay."

* * *

Even from a distance, Yuuka could see the rise of Tanaka's eyebrows, intrigued, when she walked past the school gates with Moriya beside her.

  
She would have found her bodyguard-friend's discreet teasing a little embarrassing and amusing if not for the shadow over Moriya's face. She hoped that the girl wasn't worrying over bad news or something.

  
They had walked together in silence. Moriya was mainly looking straight ahead, the seriousness on the girl's face hadn't left. 

  
Yuuka didn't mind walking in silence, usually. But it was the last day of the semester, and they were already nearing the girl's house. She wanted to hear Moriya's voice before they parted ways...

  
'Parted ways.' Why did she make it sound like Moriya was going to war or something?

  
It was after nine blocks away from school that Yuuka finally broke the ice. 

  
"You'll leave for summer camp this Sunday, right?"

  
She must have a weird look on her face for Moriya was regarding her kind of suspi--funnily. Moriya wasn't even looking at the street while walking anymore. The other girl was searching her face openly, especially her eyes... As if one one too many flutter of her eyelashes would determine the next course of events.

  
Yuuka was getting a little conscious, but she just let Moriya do as she pleased. If it was what the girl wanted...

  
She had lost track of them, the things that would fade away, or things she would let go whenever she was with Moriya Akane. She knew when it had started, but how it had grown in intensity? She had lost track of it. 

  
"Yes. This Sunday afternoon," Moriya replied, a little late, and a little grimly beside her.

  
Yuuka's grip on the straps of her shoulder bag tightened. Compared to their time at the library, the air between them seemed a tad cold.

  
What was happening?

  
The rest of their walk had stayed silent after that. When they reached the front gates of the Moriya's however...

  
The other girl stopped, and turned to her. Yuuka noticed Moriya's hands were tightening and unclenching on her sides. Moriya's shoulders seemed stiff, too. The girl's eyes were downcast, her fringes had strayed over them, obscuring Yuuka's view of them.

  
Yuuka reached out, wanting to tuck the stray hair away from her face. But she stopped, finding that she couldn't.

  
Why was she feeling like something was changing?

  
Maybe something was, but why was she feeling like--

  
Instinctively, she looked behind her, at her bodyguard-friend...

  
And he was there, walking half a block from them.

  
When their eyes met, Tanaka had squared her shoulders, attentive.

  
What did Tanaka see in her expression? Was it showing on her face how...distressed she was getting?

  
But Yuuka didn't let it prolong, didn't let the coldness stretch further. She straightened her back, and she would talk to Moriya like any brave person should do. Because she was no longer in Tokyo. Things had changed.  
She turned to face Moriya...

  
...Just in time to see the girl shaking her head, as if she was shaking away thoughts, and--

  
"Moriya--"

  
"Do you have plans tomorrow?"

  
"What?" Yuuka was taken aback.

  
Moriya was looking at her straight in the eyes, and Yuuka caught a mix of emotions flashing past them. One second, it was like a plea, and the next second, it was... like Moriya was daring her.

  
And Yuuka was confused. "I..."

  
"Do you want to come over?"

* * *

Akane checked her phone for the ninth time that morning. Koike hadn't texted her ever since their talk two days ago, since their walk to school. It was one of the reasons she had invited Sugai over... So that Koike and Habu would have a chance to clear things up that weekend, especially when their semester tests had finally ended.

  
Or she kept telling herself that.

  
And it definitely wasn't because Akane wanted to spend her remaining time in Miyagi, before going away for tennis camp, with Sugai Yuuka.

  
She kept telling herself that.

  
Sugai arrived that morning at 10, just like what she had texted. 

  
Tanaka was standing alone by the gate, waiting for his charge to completely get inside the house. He bowed to her in greeting. Akane bowed in return before closing the door behind Sugai. If his expression had a hint of amusement, Akane couldn't really tell from the distance.

  
Sugai was wearing a light blue summer dress, and sandals. She had her hair tied up in a messy bun. Her guest also had a shy smile on her face which Akane looked away from, as if the smile was too radiant to see.

  
"Thank you for inviting me over, Moriya," the girl said, handing two paperbags to her.

  
"You didn't have to get me anything." Akane bowed. She received the bags with both hands. "But thank you."

  
"You're welcome," Sugai replied, her smile never leaving her face.

  
Akane noted the two presents in her hands, wondering why she was given more than the customary one.

  
"The white bag was from two weeks ago, when I was...away," Sugai supplied. Her voice became softer at the last word. 

  
Akane nodded her head, shaking some intrusive thoughts that only brought some not-so-welcome feelings from that time. It was still not addressed. Akane would like to keep it that way.

  
"We were so busy, I couldn't give it to you right away," Sugai added.

  
"Thank you," Akane replied, still a little distracted. The packaging of the other gift was somewhat...

  
With the two presents held in one hand, Akane started making her way to the stairway.

"Moriya?" Sugai called after her.

Akane turned back to face Sugai, and her guest was looking at her with a mix of curiousity and hesitation. Sugai's face was also expectant...and glowing with a little excitement. And Akane was hit with a sudden urge to show the girl around, share more things with her...see more of that glow.

And as sudden as that urge, a part of her stayed unsure... kept her walls up. There were questions in her head, all revolving around the girl before her.

But as of that Saturday morning, Akane pushed that part down. They were just two friends, spending a day together.

"Want to come up to my room?"

* * *

"Want to come up to my room?"

Yuuka was so surprised with the offer that she had to snap out of her daze and run after Moriya to the stairs. They had passed by a short hallway where family photos of the Moriyas were hanging. And even with only a second to linger, Yuuka was swept with a longing to look at each photo closely. She wanted to see Moriya Akane's childhood photos especially.

But Moriya was also watching her closely from up the stairs, eyes a little narrowed with scrutiny.

Yuuka lowered her head in embarassment, and walked after Moriya up the stairs until they had reached the bedroom farthest down upper floor.

She held her breath as Moriya waited for her by the doorway. The door was wide open. The other girl's face was blank, but there was a hint of apprehension in her eyes. Yuuka wondered what was going on in Moriya's head, and she was swept with the same longing from before.

She wanted to know more about Moriya Akane. Her morning routine, her breakfast most mornings, the desserts she couldn't say no to...

But as she walked past the doorway, past Moriya, and completely inside the bedroom, that longing was replaced with warmth and giddiness, and a hint of intimacy she couldn't help but revel in.

Moriya Akane's room was spacious, and there was a mix of a lavender scent and fabric conditioner in the air. The walls were painted a light shade of yellow, and the original light color of the wood interiors were kept. The window was open, and the thin curtains were billowing in the cool morning breeze. It overlooked the backyard, the same view where they watched the sunset together. The view of the setting sun would be as picturesque from Moriya's windows, Sugai pictured in her head.

The built-in closets were made of light-colored wood, too. There was a desk on one side of the room, with textbooks and a sturdy-looking lamp on it. A laptop was closed shut in the middle. Beside it was a tall shelf holding more books, medals, scrolls of certificates, photos, both framed and not, and small trophies.

An open suitcase was in the middle of the floor. It was half-filled with folded clothes, and other things packed separately in smaller bags. Everything was in order. Even the items still unpacked. They were lined up, occupying half the bed.

"Excuse the mess," Moriya said behind her. "I was in the middle of packing up for tomorrow."

Yuuka nodded her head, still a little speechless. Her heart was thudding in her chest, and it was making her hands clammy, and her knees weak. She couldn't look Moriya in the eyes without revealing how much the gesture had affected her. She didn't want to scare the girl away.

Moriya softly cleared her throat, and asked, "You... You can sit on the bed, if you like. I'm just going to store these downstairs."

Yuuka nodded in reply again. Her cheeks were getting warmer under the other girl's scrutiny. And it was only when Moriya had left the room when Yuuka let out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding in.

  
She stayed rooted on the same spot for a few seconds, not really knowing what to do. Then she cautiously walked to the bed, and sat gingerly on the edge. There were still a few clothes left unpacked beside her. She recognized the tennis club's red jacket she had seen a couple of times on Moriya.

  
With a hand that trembled a little, she ran her fingers on the red fabric, fascinated. She had seen it on Moriya during moments that had left her in awe of the other girl...had made her breathless.

  
She would have been satisfied just staying seated where she was on the bed, but something on Moriya's desk had caught her eye. She hadn't noticed it earlier.

  
It was her old dark-green club jacket. 

  
She stood up to see it up close. It was folded neatly.

  
There was a moment, a few months ago, when she would purposely seek it in her school bag to pacify her, to keep her calm amid the new reality she had found herself in. Moving to Miyagi had been a jarring transition. She had wanted to go back to Tokyo, to a life that no longer--

  
Yuuka let out a shaky breath.

  
But things had changed. They weren't the same anymore.

  
And knowing that her jacket was in Moriya Akane's possession, folded neatly among the girl's things, it assured her... And centered her anew.

  
She wondered what Moriya would think of everytime she saw the dark-green jacket.

  
Was it about slashed uniforms? About how upset she had become? Or was it about the warmth it offered her during that walk home? Did Moriya think of her, walking beside her?

She wondered--

  
A photo.

  
It wasn't framed like the rest, but it was there.  
Yuuka was drawn to it.

  
Of Moriya Akane's bright face. She was smiling widely with her cheeks flushed, and eyes curved. She was beautiful...

  
It seemed like it was taken after a tournament, celebrating a win. Moriya was holding a trophy...

  
...Along with another girl.

  
Her hair was short, just above her shoulders. She was a bit taller than Moriya, and had a graceful-looking neck. She was pretty...

  
...And her eyes were shining as she looked at Moriya.

  
They were side by side, holding the trophy between them. And Moriya's arm was wrapped around the other girl's waist. And there was... There was a certain intimacy with the way they stood close.

  
It brought an unpleasant stirring in her stomach.

  
The photo was still on display. That had to mean something.

  
"My ex-girlfriend."

  
Yuuka whipped around sharply, and Moriya was there by the doorway, observing her, then the photo on the shelf.

  
"We were also teammates."

  
"I--I'm sorry." Yuuka said, taking a step away from the shelf. "I didn't mean to..."

  
Moriya's eyes were blank, but her jaw was set.

  
Yuuka might have finally overstepped.

  
But then, Moriya sighed, and seemed to shake her thoughts away.

  
Yuuka prepared herself for anything that Moriya would say. If the other girl had changed her mind about the spending the whole day with her. If she--

  
"I was thinking we could go have a walk downtown, and look for a place to have lunch. Maybe try out that new Korean restaurant Kubo had been telling us about at the lockers," Moriya said, and her voice was low, only a little hesitant. "Would you... would you like that?"

  
Even if it was somewhat their original plan for the day, Moriya Akane still managed to surprise her.

  
* * *

  
Walking around town was always pleasant for Akane. It was also warm in the beginnings of summer, but the sky was filled with cotton-like clouds, and the late morning breeze was still a little on the refreshing side.

  
They were silent the entire walk towards their destination. The silence usually didn't bug Akane. 

  
But that day...

  
Akane's head was whirring with a mess of speculations, and doubts. Their semester tests were over, and they could finally relax, free their minds a bit, and enjoy the reprieve before taking on their summer homework, or in her case, a three-week tennis camp.

  
But Akane had a hard time doing it, the relaxing-and-freeing-her-mind bit.

  
When Sugai had arrived at her doorstep, Akane was still determined to make a good one out of her remaining day before she would leave for Osaka. But the present from Sugai's trip had thrown her off for a while... And Koike's radio silence had also been a little worrying for Akane.

  
"Is everything alright, Moriya?" Sugai asked beside her as they turned to a more quiet street that led to the arcade.

  
Her own grim expression must have been telling.

  
Akane pressed the heels of her palms onto her eyes, to somehow relieve the stress she was feeling. She didn't want to ruin the day for the both of them. It was the start of their summer break, and she would still like to make what could be the only free day she would have for the next few weeks a fun one.

She breathed out before she replied, "Sorry, I was distracted...by something."

  
"Do you want to tell me about it?"

  
"No, it's nothing probably."

  
Sugai nodded her head. If she wasn't convinced of her answer, it didn't show on the girl's face. Sugai's had returned to its usual soft look, and Akane grew a little conscious again. She couldn't help but revel in the expressiveness of the girl's face, how usually open Sugai seemed.

  
"If I didn't invite you out today, what would you be doing now?" Akane asked. They were near the Korean restaurant, so if Sugai brought up something that would make them think of 'implications,' it could be diverted easily.

  
But Sugai's answer was something she didn't expect at all.

  
" _Oneechan's_ visiting again, so I guess, I would be waiting for her at home." Sugai tilted her head, as if contemplating. "She'll arrive later this afternoon."

  
Akane's eyebrows shot up. "What time? You should have told me that yesterday, don't you think?"

  
"You're making me go home already?" Sugai mirrored her expression. 

  
But it was adorable on Sugai, Akane couldn't help but think that. She looked straight ahead again, to not think about _that_.

  
"No, don't be silly," she replied, running her fingers through her wavy hair, conscious. 

  
Sugai giggled besider her, and it was so soft, Akane blushed at the sound.

  
"You should be home when she _does_ arrive though," Akane pointed out. Her tone came out gentle, even if she wanted to be firm especially when it came to _the_ sister. "I won't be held responsible for taking too much of your time away from her."

  
Sugai suddenly side-stepped and walked ahead of her. Then she turned to face her, and proceeded to walk backwards. She said, "She wouldn't mind, I promise."

  
Akane's breath got caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in what she could accept as fascination. The stray strands of hair that were loose from Sugai's messy hair bun had swayed when the girl turned. Sugai's face was glowing with affection, as if she was enjoying every moment she was living in. Everything was just so bright, Akane was struck by it.

  
Sugai repeated, "When it comes to you, she wouldn't mind."

  
And there was that tilting of Sugai's head again that Akane found--

  
Akane pursed her lips together, trying to calm the beating of her heart. What was even happening?

  
Sugai's eyes suddenly widened with excitement. She pointed at something they had already walked past. " _Akanen_ , there it is!" 

  
"It's 'Moriya' to you," Akane mumbled automatically, late in shaking away the haze in her head.

  
Sugai only ignored her, and held her by the wrist. The girl led her towards a small group of people lining up outside what seemed to be the newly-opened Korean restaurant Kubo had told her about. Apparently, they hadn't noticed it as they walked past. It was so unlike Akane to not notice.

  
But she still couldn't fully pay attention to it. Not when Sugai's fingers were wrapped gently around her wrist. Not when there were tiny jolts of electricity _again_...shooting up her arm.

  
Akane reddened further. She found it inconvenient.

  
"Oh..." Sugai suddenly stopped in her tracks, effectively making Akane stop as well.

  
That was when the situation had become fully clear. 

  
The Korean restaurant was already packed inside. They couldn't let anyone in for the next hour or so. There was even a sign put up by the entrance. The small groups of people waiting outside were lightly buzzing with deciding if it was worth the wait or not.

  
Sugai stood there, motionless. The hand holding Akane's wrist slid loose, and fell to the side. Disappointment was obvious on the girl's face.

  
Although Akane didn't fully get why Sugai had that expression, she wanted it gone.

  
"Come on. I'm sure there are other places we can try out," she said, tilting her head towards the other direction.

  
Sugai only nodded, and resumed walking beside Akane.

  
"It's not going anywhere, Sugai-san," Akane said, in an attempt to reassure the other girl. "Kubo would still probably go on and on about it when I get back from tennis camp."

  
Akane wasn't sure why she was making that effort to placate Sugai. It was only a restaurant, and she wasn't picky. As long as she could eat comfortably, and the food was great. Akane had also seen the places the girl had gone to with Koike, and judging from the photos sent to her, Sugai seemed to not be picky as well.

  
Akane couldn't help but feel like the mood had dampened a bit. They had been passing by window displays of different specialty shops, and Sugai wasn't responsive at all to any of them. Akane was confident that Sugai would be interested on a better day.

  
But when they passed by a photography studio... Sugai had stopped in front of it.

There was a large print of the Tokyo Tower prominently displayed by the window. A look of _something_ crossed over Sugai's face. Akane had caught it.

  
"Why did you move here?" Akane asked, keeping it as gentle as she could, kept it as non-invasive sounding as she could. "You don't need to answer though..."

  
Without taking her eyes off of the photo, Sugai replied, "My mother was... She isn't feeling well. She needed time for herself...away from things."

  
As far as Akane could remember, it was the first time that Sugai had mentioned her mother.

  
Sugai seemed to not breathe as she went on. "My father's grandmother left the manor to him, and the Sugais had been close to one of the oldest families here, so we all agreed that I could still be looked after while I finish the rest of my high school in Miyagi."

  
Akane took it all in. A selfish part of her still wanted to ask, 'Have you told Habu any of this?' but she didn't. Sugai didn't need that. Instead, Akane didn't dwell on the situation they had no control of. Even if she was away from most of her family, Sugai Yuuka was safe, and well taken cared of in Miyagi.

  
"Don't you miss it?" Akane asked.

  
"I do. A little bit." Sugai breathed out, a little shakily. "Most times, I'm glad that I moved here."

  
Akane nodded her head. There was something in Sugai's voice that she found it hard to pinpoint. Something wasn't adding up... But she brushed it away. She wasn't going to press for more answers. She shouldn't be asking about anything personal in the first place.

  
Akane stole a glance at the other girl, and recognized the sadness in Sugai's face. And something leapt inside of her.

  
A rush of protectiveness she wasn't ready to process...

  
Without another thought, Akane stepped closer beside Sugai. Their hands were parallel to each other, and she let the gap between them decrease, until the backs of their hands were touching.

  
If Sugai had noticed it, she didn't shy away.

And Akane appreciated that Sugai didn't fuss about it to not make her self-conscious in return. Akane would like to think that.

  
But since it was Sugai Yuuka after all... 

  
"I know we could go to another restaurant, but I'd like your day to go smoothly according to plan before you leave. So I was..." came the answer Akane wasn't expecting anymore. Why her disappointment over the packed Korean restaurant was so strong, why Sugai had seemed down because of it...

  
And she was struck again by how Sugai would consider her feelings above all else.

  
Even when Akane, herself, didn't think about her own.

  
The night of the sparklers, the memories from that time, they all came back to the surface, and Akane was suddenly overwhelmed with gush of warmth that had spread through her. 

  
"Today will," Akane reassured the other girl. "Don't overthink it."

  
If she deliberately brushed her fingers between Sugai's own before walking ahead, Akane didn't _overthink_ it.

  
If Sugai Yuuka had gasped at the touch, Akane didn't let it fluster her further.

  
* * *

  
They decided on a well-known restaurant at the other side of the arcade that served burgers instead. Akane had been there a few times with her parents, and enjoyed it immensely. It was built like a retro diner inside, and she considered their strawberry milkshakes to be the best in Miyagi.

  
Akane stole glances at Sugai at the other side of the small booth. Sugai had initially struggled with the height of her bacon cheeseburger, but it didn't stop her from fully enjoying it. The girl was vocal and open about her appreciation of the food. Her eyes had widened, and she would hum in approval. When Akane thought back on the few times she had seen Sugai eat, it seemed that Sugai loved anything food-related.

  
She wondered for a moment if Sugai was like that in general, or if Sugai's enjoyment for food depended on who she was with. But Akane shut down those thoughts right away.  
Sugai could eat anywhere she liked, with whomever she liked. Akane stamped that in her head as intrusive thoughts kept resurfacing.

  
Akane was surprised though that Koike and Habu hadn't taken Sugai there yet.

  
"I can't believe you didn't know about this place." Akane shook her head in disbelief. "Even Habu hasn't taken you here."

  
If she sounded a little smug, Akane didn't care in that moment. She was so warm, and she had finished her burger that was so delicious, she couldn't give a damn.

  
"Would you prefer it if Habu-chan has taken me here, too?" If there was a glint of a challenge in Sugai's eyes, Akane couldn't tell for sure. She had already choked on her breath, she had no time to make sure.

  
Sugai was instantly leaning over with worry. She reached out to pat Akane's hand on the table while she coughed. "Take it easy," the girl said gently.

  
Mixed emotions were warring in her chest. After what had happened to Koike and the souvenir Habu had given her, was anger a more-appropriate feeling to put forth? Or should she take it like how she had dealt with Sugai's advances and mild flirting--teasing in the past, with awkward shyness and flutters in her heart?

  
Akane was confused. The two prominent emotions she was feeling were opposites. In her confusion, Sugai's question was forgotten, and--

  
_"I can't do this anymore, Akane..."_

  
Words from the past echoed within her. Why did that memory come back, of all the times it had to?

  
She had thought things were going smoothly between her and Makino Kanna. Only for it to go completely where she didn't expect to at all.

  
And Akane was left shaken, and confused. She had been so sure...

  
So she took a step back for a moment, give time to catch herself. She also took a step back from Sugai Yuuka.

  
"I'm fine," Akane replied, relieved that she didn't sound curt. But she must have unconsciously flinched from Sugai's hand that was still on hers for the other girl had withdrawn her touch, and tucked both of her hands under the table. A flash of tension flickered on Sugai's eyes as she did so.

  
And as if out of reflex, Sugai had glanced to her side, at specifically two tables away, at Tanaka who had finished his burger half the time before they had finished theirs.

  
Akane was hit with the realization... And her heart dropped.

  
Give it to Sugai Yuuka to make her feel a multitude of emotions in one sitting.

  
Did Sugai feel so anxious that she had sought out her bodyguard-friend's presence?

  
Akane had caught that look once before outside when she was still occupied with...some _things_. But she hadn't realized...

  
Without thinking, Akane slid a foot forward, and deliberately nudged Sugai's own, the thin leather of her shoes meeting Sugai's sandal-clad foot.

  
Sugai looked up, surprised at the contact.  
And Akane hoped that her own expression was apologetic, and sincere.

  
As much as half of her wanted to flee before everything could go worse for her, Akane didn't want to be the source of someone else's anxiety or pain. Better to distance herself than hurt or be hurt in return. She never wanted that for anyone. Especially for Sugai Yuuka. 

  
They were friends...good friends who had lunch together.

  
Akane was responsible for her own feelings. It wasn't Sugai's fault that she just couldn't shake away the niggling thoughts... _doubts_ in her head.

  
"I'm fine, Sugai," she repeated, and it came out soft like she wanted.

  
Sugai searched her face for a second longer before she returned a reply just as soft, "That's good. I'm glad."

  
And there was that tilt of Sugai's head again that Akane found...

  
"Would you like to look around some more, Sugai-san?"

  
* * *

  
They were silent again as they continued their stroll around the arcade, taking the scenic route back to the her house. But that time, Akane didn't mind. She had finally managed to focus on the present--not Sugai's presents, but the _present_ time, managed to not stray from what she was seeing, hearing, what she was experiencing.

  
And so far, Akane was full, and feeling fine...more than fine.

  
That soft smile was back on Sugai's face, and Akane had kind of missed seeing that.

  
She would be off to tennis camp for three weeks, and she wouldn't be seeing Miyagi, and any of the things and people she was familiar with. She wondered how badly she would miss it...

  
Even the girl beside her.

  
Would she miss Sugai Yuuka, and her tendency to unknowingly attract people into her orbit? Would she miss the constant appearance of the girl by the lockers?

  
How open would Akane be after three weeks? Or how closed-off? She would be seeing her ex-girlfriend again in the first place. Would seeing Makino change any of her current feelings towards...towards Sugai?

  
How much would change in her after the summer camp was done?

  
Would her absence--

  
"Moriya, I..." Sugai suddenly said, interrupting Akane's question-ridden thoughts.

  
Akane paused as well right after Sugai stopped walking. Her friend breathed in deeply, and unclenched and clenched her hands. Akane wondered what Sugai wanted to say to render this kind of--

  
"Can I hold your hand?"

  
Oh.

  
Sugai Yuuka's eyes didn't let go of hers. They were wide and shining under the afternoon sun. They didn't flicker. They did, but it was with something Akane accepted she would miss.

  
_Oh._

  
Akane didn't answer her. Instead, she started walking again, but not without... Not without sliding her hand into Sugai Yuuka's, and there was a tiny shiver that shot up her spine as their skin pressed together.

  
"Only for five minutes though," she warned the other girl, ignoring...trying to ignore that shiver.

  
"Okay," Yuuka replied beside her. Those two syllables were soft, and they warmed Akane from the inside.

  
Akane held her breath as tiny jolts ran up her arm, and it didn't help that her heart had started skipping beats. It was inconvenient.   
She had been to tournaments, regional and prefectural. She had faced ruthless players from other schools.

  
Why was a simple hand-holding making her stomach do somersaults as if she was a complete newbie to it?

  
"Am I scaring you?" It was that same softness in Sugai's voice again that she found--

  
Akane let out a deep breath before she could reply, "No--you're... No." A little indignantly.

  
_Liar._

  
She wanted to side-eye at herself.

  
Because it had been a while, and for the most part, it had been her who was offering her hand to Sugai. A bit shameless at one time even. 

  
But Sugai's question just threw her off. Added with the softness of her voice, and the openness in her expression...

  
_It's been a while._

  
She kind of missed it... Those foreign feelings, yet they were so familiar that Akane was filled with longing for something that was still with her...knowing that the following day, she would be surrounded by strangers, all considered teammates and rivals.

  
Akane tightened her hold on Sugai's hand unconsciously. When she noticed what she had done, she loosened her grip for a bit, but not without Sugai returning the gesture.

  
And it was...

  
The thrumming in her veins, Akane wondered if Sugai could feel them through the pads of her fingertips. The light tingling, did Sugai feel them, too? The way their surroundings had muted around them, could Sugai sense it as well?

  
Why did Akane have to notice a lot about the changes around them? In herself? Every time a shiver ran down her spine, every butterfly in her stomach. It was mildly inconvenient.

  
Akane had the choice to take her hand back prematurely, not care whatever Sugai's reaction would be. She could also...

  
...let go a lot later in her own terms. No time restrictions, no limits.

  
Would she miss it... Sugai's presence beside her?

  
Akane's questions remained like that...unanswered, and just like that, seemingly respecting Akane's wishes, Sugai did loosen her grip, and let go of her hand after some time. Akane caught Sugai sneaking a glance at probably the time on her phone more than twice. Five minutes had passed, Akane guessed.

  
It felt short.

  
And when Akane felt a significant loss of warmth as their hands parted, she didn't think more about it.

  
"I may have gone 10 seconds beyond five minutes," Sugai admitted, smiling with mischief dancing in her eyes.

  
Akane could feel a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Who knew... Sugai Yuuka, a rebel?"

  
"I also hide junk food in my bedroom."

  
"Now, that's just... Who are you, and what have you done to Sugai?"

  
Sugai laughed, her eyes disappearing into dark crescents again. "But I'll make sure to be good before you decide that you don't want to be seen with me anymore."

  
Akane could continue the flow of conversation, and hear more of Sugai's laugh, or even say something stupid like, "I don't think I would decide on that ever."

  
Sugai had become brighter after holding hands, and Akane preferred to see that version of her...friend. Rather than the uncertain one.

  
Would 'absence make the heart go fonder' apply to them both?

  
Would Sugai Yuuka miss her a--

  
" _Akanen_ , look!"

  
It must have been done unconsciously. Had to be! Sugai had seemed so excited over a wooden doll display by a novelty store that she just blurted her first name.

  
No matter the reason, Akane's cheeks instantly grew warm. 

  
"It's 'Moriya' to you," she murmured, and she internally rolled her eyes at her own half-hearted tone.

  
Sugai had turned to her in surprise at her reply, but she must have seen something on her face for the girl only laughed softly.

  
Akane pursed her lips together, mildly embarassed. She just wasn't in any way getting used to all the gentleness Sugai could bring.

  
Sugai smiled at her wider, looking between her and the doll display. With a playful glint in her eyes, Sugai said, "It's cute, right, 'Mo-ri-ya?'"

  
Akane briefly narrowed her eyes at the other girl. She couldn't possibly not see Sugai's teasing. "Hmmn, I guess." 

  
She resumed walking down the street. Sugai caught up beside her in a beat. The girl's hands were joined behind her, and there was an extra spring in her steps. Akane didn't need to look to know that Sugai was smiling still.

  
Akane also didn't need to check beside her to know that once she did, a wide smile would definitely break on her face. She was already biting on the insides of her mouth to stop one from already breaking. Damn her facial muscles.

  
"Akanen," Sugai called, and Akane could hear the smile on the girl's face, definitely.

  
"It's 'Moriya,'" she corrected, again with that half-hearted tone. Damn it.

  
Sugai only laughed.

  
Akane could see the cycle. Sugai teasing her, Akane blocking it as if it was unwanted, Sugai laughing it off goodnaturedly...and Akane getting weak from it.

  
But she found it... not unwelcomed.

  
"Akanen-san?"

  
"'Mo-ri-ya.'"

  
"Akanen?"

  
"'Moriya.'"

  
_"Moriya."_

  
"I'm not falling for that, Sugai-san."

  
"Oh, too bad. I'll do better next time then."

  
At that moment, Akane allowed herself to laugh with Sugai Yuuka.

  
Akane was full, warm, and the afternoon sky was bright and filled with cotton-like clouds.

  
And there was a girl walking beside her, matching her pace, smiling that soft smile, sending small butterflies to her stomach... A smile Akane wanted to think was reserved only for her. 

  
A girl with gentleness and brightness in her that made Akane want to either run away from it, or revel in it, in whatever she was allowed to take.

  
A girl who just turned to her again, making her stop in her tracks, and said, "Moriya, I..."

  
And for a change, Akane wondered what would be said next...with tiny anticipation fluttering in her heart.

  
"I would like to cook dinner for you..." Sugai asked. "Would you let me?"

  
Again with that _look_ that made Akane weak in the knees.

  
Akane bit on her lower lip. She managed a shrug, and said, "I guess I'll just finish packing later tonight then."

  
"Really?" Sugai's eyes brightened even more, if it was even possible.

  
"Let's go before I change my mind."

  
Sugai's pleased laughter tickled Akane's ears as they headed to the grocery store closest to her house. 

  
Akane wondered when she had started allowing--entertaining...taking Sugai's invites, since when did she start disregarding everything else just to see Sugai Yuuka happy?

  
...Since when did she, herself, start becoming happy in return? 

* * *

Akane hadn't noticed it, the echoing silence in her house. Maybe at some times, but not of recent weeks. She was used to it. It helped her reflect back on her day, and use the quiet to study. There was no loud chatter of her classmates, no yelling from training. Usually, she didn't notice. 

  
But that Saturday afternoon, her house, particularly at the kitchen...

  
"I guess we don't need it."

  
"Yuuka-sama, I can run to back to the store if you wish." 

  
"There's no need..."

  
Akane leaned over the kitchen island to survey the ingredients Sugai had bought for the dinner she was making. "Did you forget buying bell pepper, or did you deliberately..."

  
"What--what made you say that?" Sugai's voice was suddenly a little high-pitched.

  
Akane couldn't help but duck her head, and laugh a bit. She could swear Sugai had picked up bell peppers at the grocery store, and the ingredient was suddenly 'not there.'

  
"Yuuka-sama doesn't eat bell peppers anywhere else," Tanaka quipped, with a straight face. "She only tries it around you because you don't have a problem with it."

  
"Tanaka-kun!"

  
Tanaka took a step back right away. His poker face was effective, too. He seemed like he just supplied the info to be helpful, and not to tease his charge. "Forgive me, Yuuka-sama."

  
Akane concentrated on taking a slow sip from her glass of water, refusing to show her blush--the sudden warmth on her face, especially with Tanaka with them, no matter how close Sugai was to her bodyguard-friend.

  
But Sugai Yuuka didn't have the same thoughts as her, for the other girl glared at Tanaka while her face had gone a deeper shade of red. It was only an attempt at glaring for it only looked cute on--

  
What the hell was Akane on anyway? Was it the water?

  
Akane cleared her throat, and thought aloud, "So it was deliberate..."

  
"We can do without bell peppers," Sugai decided, neither denying nor confirming anything. She turned back to the ingredients, and had become visibly thoughtful as she concentrated on the recipe on her phone.

  
And as if on cue, Tanaka tapped something on his ear, and skimmed down his phone. He excused himself out, but not before saying something to Sugai in a discreet manner.

  
" _Oneechan's_ at home now," Sugai told her after a while. Sugai's tone had dropped into a softer one. "That was what Tanaka-kun said..."

  
Akane trained her eyes at the glass of water before her. "I'm glad your sister has arrived safely, but I don't really mind if you don't relay the things you two talk about to me."

  
"I'd like you to know," the other girl replied, simply.

  
Sugai didn't add anything to it, but an 'implication' was there.

  
Akane nodded her head, not really delving on the why. It just _was_...

  
Before Sugai Yuuka had arrived in Miyagi, Akane had cared for nobody else's business but her own. As long as it concerned her, she would make an effort. If it didn't, she wouldn't give a damn.

  
But having Sugai Yuuka tell her random and not-so random things, Akane found herself remembering them.

  
Akane leaned over the kitchen island, and watched as Sugai started slicing strips of bacon. The other girl was a little on the slow side, but Sugai was so focused on the task that the girl didn't see her blatant staring, Akane was almost offended by the lack of attention.

  
But when she asked, "What's for dinner, chef-san?" and Sugai Yuuka laughed at the silly name, Akane settled in just watching Sugai Yuuka move around in her kitchen as if she had been there a thousand times. 

* * *

Sugai had made carbonara pasta, and garlic bread. And she did them all by herself, except for the garlic bread which was store-bought and plain before. Akane had wanted to help out even if it was just slicing ingredients, but Sugai insisted that she would do everything on her own. And Sugai Yuuka did, which made something close to pride swell in Akane's chest, warming her up along with seeing the accomplished look on the other girl's face. Akane was allowed to show her where everything was in the kitchen though, and she would choose the constant assisting over sitting still on the bar stool doing nothing anytime.

  
The recipe was taught in Sugai's cooking class back in Tokyo. It didn't take more than two hints for Akane to figure out that 'cooking class' meant 'Sugai and a private instructor.' She didn't find that surprising at all.

  
With Tanaka joining them, they had dinner together. He sat beside Sugai, and was in his best non-teasing behavior.

  
And just like before, she couldn't help but sneak glances at Sugai while eating. In between twirling strands of pasta with her fork, Akane's eyes just wander up at the other girl especially when Sugai would unabashedly hum in appreciation at her own cooking. Akane almost chuckled during those times, but Tanaka's presence beside his charge was just too obvious to let her own _guard_ down.

  
The bodyguard-friend finished his meal earlier than the rest of them though, and excused himself back to stand guard outside. If Akane saw it as Tanaka giving them privacy, she didn't think more of it. She didn't want it to become awkward for her and Sugai. She was already feeling too warm and full, and she didn't want to be too _comfortable_ with the other girl.

  
Because if it was in the past, something like that night would have led to a kiss or two.

  
And they were just friends, spending the rest of Saturday together. _Just friends._

  
"Dinner was really delicious," Akane commented, promptly bowing in her seat in gratitude. "Thank you, Sugai-san."

  
Sugai returned the bow, her face splitting into a pleased grin. "Am I allowed to cook dinner for you again?"

  
And Akane found herself not being able to shut the idea down. She couldn't lie to herself like that. Sugai's was the best homemade carbonara pasta she had tried, and that was saying something considering her mother had probably tried every pasta recipe she had taken interest in, and they all had turned out more than well. Akane would probably tell her mother about their dinner later during their scheduled Saturday call.

  
Yes, she definitely wanted to have a repeat of that night. 

  
"In the distant future, I guess..." she replied, thumbing the edge of her plate.

  
"'I guess?'" Sugai echoed, smiling wider, her eyes disappearing again into dark crescents.

  
Akane tilted her head down again, as sudden warmth spread from her chest up to her neck. Blushing hard wasn't something that should happen between 'just friends,' was it?

  
She excused herself softly, and proceeded to gather their plates and utensils. She waved Sugai to sit back down when the girl started helping her. Sugai had cooked dinner for them. It was only proper that Akane would deal with the dishes after.

  
Sugai didn't insist, and just settled on watching her from her seat--

  
Until...

  
Apparently, Sugai had a different idea. She had risen from her seat, and followed her by the sink... And stood beside her, leaning her hip against the counter... As if making up for the lack of attention Akane got earlier, of the attention Sugai couldn't give when she was still preparing. Akane suddenly grew conscious again. 

  
"What could possibly be interesting about dishwashing, Sugai-san?" Akane asked, keeping her voice flat. If her voice cracked a little due to embarrassment, she wasn't going to admit to anything.

  
Sugai hummed, as if distracted... Akane decided that Sugai was probably preoccupied by the bubbles forming in the sink, or the stream of water from the faucet.

  
But no.

  
When she snuck a glance at Sugai Yuuka, she was... the other girl was watching _her_.

Unabashed. Unapologetic even when caught.  
It was different from the previous ones.

Before, Sugai would look at Akane like she was the sole reason all the holidays were made. Like she was the reason weekends existed. 

  
But that night, it felt like Akane was the only one worth seeing. 

  
Akane swallowed hard. The blush that had rushed to her face was something she couldn't hide that time, because Sugai had a full view of her profile. Akane knew she was interesting and good-looking. She was always confident of her physical appearance, but she never made it her top attribute. But then, as Sugai still watched her, Akane wondered if there was dirt on her face, or if her hair got messed up during dinner.

  
Or if Sugai Yuuka was slowly realizing that she wasn't at all that special, and that spending her Saturday with her instead of being with her big sister at the stone manor up the hill was a complete waste of--

  
"You amaze me, Akanen..."

  
Akane pursed her lips together as a shiver ran up her neck. There was that urge to smile again. Was it her own narcissism? Or was it Sugai calling her by her first name again? Or was it because it was Sugai telling her that?

  
Whatever the reason, Akane was getting all sorts of tiny flutters in her stomach which she found inconvenient.

  
"I mean, 'Mo-ri-ya,'" Sugai added, enunciating every syllable of her name.

  
Akane could only nod her head as she managed a, "Yeah, that's part of my full name, too..."

  
Sugai went on, oblivious of Akane's predicament. "I wanted to say 'You're really beautiful,' but I don't want to focus on only the appearance of a person."

  
Akane cleared her throat. A suds-covered plate slipped from her hands, and fell into the water-filled sink. Was she a newbie at relationships or flirting? Except they were 'just friends' who just had dinner, and one of them was washing dishes, and the other one was openly flirting?

  
Sugai took a half-step back, and breathed out while chuckling softly to herself. "I'm sorry, I was too forward."

  
As if not thinking of the implications of their 'closeness,' Sugai, seemingly absent-minded about it, took a paper towel from the counter, and gently wiped the small splashes of suds and water up Akane's elbow.

  
And Sugai just went on, still oblivious of her effect on Akane, however strong that could be. "Please excuse me and my tendency to be too comfortable around people when I'm full and warm... Actually, I'm not sure, but I guess, being around you makes me like _that_ , and it's--"

  
"Sugai," Akane breathed out. There was a catch to her voice, but thankfully, Sugai didn't seem to notice. "It's... It's okay."

  
"I... Okay." Sugai didn't sound convinced, but she didn't insist after.

  
And Akane was suddenly overcome by the need to be less cautious, less guarded...more open. "Sugai, can you..."

  
When the other girl leaned a little closer, Akane didn't back down. "Can you tuck my hair back? They're getting to my eyes."

  
If Sugai Yuuka caught on her bluff, that her hair was in no way messy around her face, Akane didn't care.

  
"I..." Sugai didn't move beside her for what seemed like forever, and Akane waited silently, half-daring, half-worrying. Her eyes were trained on cloudy water in the sink. If... _If_ the thing between them was bound to backfire in the future, and she ended up hurting by a tenfold, Akane...

  
There was a pair of hands, tentative, cautious over her shoulders, reaching. And Sugai was behind her, Akane could feel the warmth of the girl's presence on her back. Sugai's fingers were delicate, carding through the waves of her hair.

  
"Like this?" The other girl asked, and her voice was low, almost a whisper.

  
Akane's breath came out shakily, and she couldn't help but close her eyes. "Yes..."

  
Sugai took her time, as if every strand of her hair were made of fragile material that would dissolve before her eyes if she wasn't gentle enough. Sugai moved as if they had all night for that touch.

  
And Akane could only let her, while there was a quiver in her heart, and a growing emotion threatening to squeeze her lungs.

  
When Sugai was finally done, and Akane's hair was tucked over one shoulder, Akane said, clear but devoid of any hesitation or tremble from earlier, just loud enough for only the two of them, "When I get back, we'll go and check that new Korean restaurant again."

  
Sugai was slow in returning to her side, but Akane could hear the smile on the girl's face. "I'm looking forward to it, then."

  
Akane nodded her head. It was all she could do.

  
They were silent the rest of the time Akane was washing the dishes, but she didn't need to look twice to know that Sugai's small smile hadn't faded. There was also that spark in the other girl's eyes that Akane had kept seeing...kept searching for, if she was honest with herself.

  
"Will you text me...when you have free time?" Sugai asked then. Her voice, curious and soft.

  
Akane replied with an equally-soft, "Maybe..."

  
She only hoped that Sugai Yuuka would take that as a "Yes."

  
And seeing the smile still on Yuuka's face, one that actually reached her eyes, maybe Yuuka did.

* * *

It was after Akane had finally washed her hands and dried them with a dish towel that she had noticed her surroundings. It was as if she and Sugai were in a bubble before, and that bubble had burst by a realization in the form of the time on the kitchen wall clock.

She still had things to do, and last-minute updates from the camp organizers to check.

  
Half of her didn't want to bring out one of Sugai's presents out of the fridge, and broach the source of her earlier distraction...and doubts. But it seemed like a good time to enjoy a pack of cookie sandwich or two. So she did take one of Sugai's present from the fridge, with the other girl watching her with wide, curious eyes.

  
Her last night before a three-week long training was going so well, nothing could ruin it for her... Not even by a harmless print on a pack, or things she didn't really have a say in.

  
Akane cleared her throat, and said, "I need to go finish packing..."

  
And in that moment, Akane didn't care about her earlier doubts, or if Sugai's older sister was waiting alone back at the manor. Not when everything seemed soft and warm between her and her...friend.

  
"You're welcome to stay longer, if you like."

* * *

They were wrapped in a comfortable silence in her bedroom. Akane was able to concentrate on her task, even if Sugai's eyes never left her form. The other girl would even tease her with, "Don't hurt yourself," whenever she grunted moving her luggage on the floor.

Akane would throw a playful glare over at Sugai who only laughed in response.

  
Yes, her last night before the three-week long training was going well, and Akane was contented, almost happy even, if she was ready enough to admit.

  
Akane had finished packing most of her things, save for a few essentials that she would probably need while traveling, and Sugai Yuuka was still sitting at the edge of her bed, and the box of cookie sandwiches were open and not yet touched on her bedside table, when her phone suddenly chimed.

  
It was from Koike Minami.

  
And Akane wondered...

  
If she had known how hurt she would become that night, would she still take Sugai's offer to cook dinner for them?

  
Because Sugai Yuuka, the girl who had been making her smile to herself...

\- Sugai was with Habu and her family during their trip to Hokkaido.

  
It was relayed like it was. There was no emotion obvious in her friend's message.

  
But to Akane--

  
She stood up stiffly. Her hand shook around its grip on her phone. 

  
It sent an unpleasant jolt in her stomach, enveloping her skin in a cold shiver. It was as if her world had tilted for a second, and before she could grasp what had happened, it had returned back to its original state.

  
Except her original state was still reeling.

  
And the multitude of emotions that crashed onto her, they stung. They were wringing her insides into unrecognizable shapes. She disliked the foreign feeling, and yet it was also familiar. She disliked it even more...

  
...Mostly because it hurt.

  
"You were with Habu and her family _that time_..."

  
The days that Habu was away that coincided with Sugai's. The label that said 'Yuuka' on the bag that Habu had given Koike. The fine print that had said 'Product of Hokkaido' at the pack of cookie sandwiches Sugai had given her, the same printed words that plagued her mind all morning. The connection Sugai and Habu exclusively had...

  
Akane was still staring at her phone when she said it. She couldn't look up to see whatever expression Sugai had.

  
"I..." Sugai had stood up, but stayed rooted by the bed.

  
"During that time you were _away_ , you were with Habu in Hokkaido all along?" Akane meant to repeat it as a realization, as more things had become clearer in her head, but it came out as if she was asking for confirmation...

  
...To which Sugai answered with a clear, "Yes."

  
That one word echoed in Akane.

  
Her feet were like lead as she walked towards her desk. And it could be a mistake for Sugai's old dark green club jacket was folded neatly before her. But she wanted...needed something to lean on to, or else she would just...

  
She had another realization, and her voice was hollow as she thought them aloud. "No wonder you didn't text. Not even to Koike..."

  
"That wasn't why... I--I was hoping that you'd text me first, but you didn't--"

  
"Yes, I didn't." Akane couldn't help but turn her head, to directly say that to Sugai.

  
And Sugai visibly flinched as their eyes finally met.

  
If that flinch only brought an unpleasant twist in her chest, Akane could not think about that at the moment. "I was too busy trying to focus back on my life while still getting distracted by your absence."

  
A sharp voice in her head kept telling her that if Sugai didn't text her during those days she was away, it was all up to the girl. Sugai could spend her time any way she wanted. She could spend it with whomever she wanted.

  
They were _just friends._ Sugai just...got easily attached.

  
Sugai could be with Matsumoto Maki, with anyone more beautiful than Akane, more open than her. Not with someone whose most they could give were an 'I guess,' or a 'maybe.'

  
Sugai could be with Habu Mizuho, and Akane would just--

  
"And knowing where you were, I'm glad I didn't."

  
Akane clamped her jaw tight, and tried her hardest to keep her emotions within her.

They were _just friends._ That shouldn't have slipped from her mind.

  
But why couldn't she breathe easy?

  
Akane picked the dark green jacket up on her desk, and held it out to the other girl. "Take it back." 

  
"No," Sugai firmly said. Her voice didn't waver but Akane caught the tremble of the girl's chin.

  
"Just what do you want from me?" Akane almost pleaded. 

  
"It's all a misunderstanding."

  
"If you have this thing with Habu, then--then be with her. Don't drag Koike and I into this."  
Her voice didn't waver. She sounded sure. But why were her eyes prickling?

  
"Habu and I--"

  
"Take it back," Akane repeated, holding the jacket closer to the girl with an outstretched arm. She wasn't even sure what they were talking about anymore, but she just... "I don't need it."

  
"Don't say that."

  
"Take it back."

  
Sugai pursed her trembling lips together. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

  
Akane couldn't look away, and that image of Sugai etched itself on her mind before she could even...

  
"Do you really feel that way?" Sugai asked, still as softly like always.

  
Akane didn't answer her. She didn't have the strength to process what she was really feeling.

  
Sugai left without another word. She left her jacket behind, still in Akane's hand.

* * *

Tanaka Hayato hadn't seen that expression again ever since they had come to stay in Miyagi.

  
Until...

  
Sugai Yuuka half-ran out past the gates of Moriya's house where he was standing guard...

  
Like she was shaking out of her own skin. Like she didn't know where to be, how to move... How to breathe.

  
He was...had been hopeful that he wouldn't see her like that ever again.

  
Under the glow of the streetlights, Sugai Yuuka's face was blotched with tears, which she kept on wiping away with the backs of her trembling hands. 

  
Hayato stayed rooted to where he was, forcing himself to not storm to whoever had hurt his charge. It wasn't his place...was never his place to intervene.

  
In the past, he would follow Yuuka from a distance as the girl walked it off alone. She would sit on the sidewalk, and stare at the ground. She would wrap her arms around her knees. She would cry sometimes...

  
_Most times._

  
She did that a lot back in Tokyo. Before things imploded. Before Yuuka...

  
After coming to Miyagi, the girl had been as honest about her feelings as she could. She had been more vocal of what she needed, and that helped Hayato work and anticipate his charge's wishes more effectively.

  
Things had been different from Tokyo, and Sugai had also changed for the better, Hayato decided, along with the momentous move to Miyagi. He was sure that the circumstances the past Sugai Yuuka had experienced back in Tokyo wouldn't happen again to the present Sugai in Miyagi.

  
But was it a too-naive thought?

  
The Sugai Yuuka in Miyagi also walked it off. Her shoulders were shaking, and her arms were wrapped around herself.

  
And Hayato could only walk after her, still from a distance, at least make sure that Yuuka wasn't completely alone by herself.

  
_No..._

  
_Today wasn't a good one._

* * *

Akane was helping out with the clean-up when she met _her_ again.

  
She was at the outdoor sinks near the mess hall. She had volunteered to wash the pots and bento boxes they had used earlier. She also could use the time alone, away from everyone's scrutiny. It was a refreshing night out for that. 

  
She was in the middle of scrubbing the last of the bento boxes clean when she spotted Tanaka walking towards her with a tray of used cups from the water table. Sugai Ayaka was a meter behind him.

  
Akane breathed in.

  
"Good evening, Moriya-san," Tanaka greeted her. He rolled up the sleeves of his white polo shirt higher, and occupied the sink next to her.

  
The older Sugai sibling stood at a short distance on Tanaka's other side.

  
Akane kept her attention on her task, even if she could feel the older woman watching her every movement.

  
Unlike Sugai Yuuka, the older sister seemed to not hold back with the staring. Even when she was caught doing so.

  
Akane breathed out. "Am I about to have some kind of shovel talk?" 

  
Sugai Ayaka's lips were almost formed in a smirk. "Are you and my sister in a relationship for me to give you that?"

  
Akane couldn't help but square up her shoulders. She stopped what she was doing, and locked her eyes on Sugai Ayaka. She readied herself for whatever would surely come her way.

  
But what she was ready for was definitely not--

  
"You hang the stars in the sky, Moriya-san," Tanaka stated. "For Yuuka-sama, you do."

  
The older Sugai shook her head once, and Tanaka quickly stopped, and lowered his head.

  
Akane inspected the two, a little taken aback at Tanaka's words, and at what supposedly Sugai Yuuka felt about her.

  
Sugai Ayaka massaged the bridge of her nose. "I swear I have this more-prepared speech ready, but..." She groaned. "Tanaka-kun..."

  
"I apologize, Ayaka-sama," the Sugai bodyguard-friend said, actually looking apologetic.

  
Akane would have found the two's interaction amusing if not for the surprise 'You hang the stars in the sky' had left her. She was frozen by the sink, unable to process anything because of the continuous thumping of her heart.

  
Sugai Ayaka breathed in deeply before she addressed her again. Concern was evident in her tone as she said, "And I... We're not here to push you two together or drive you two apart. And yes, apart from my constant worrying that she's out here in Miyagi while the rest of her family is in Tokyo, as you've seen earlier, I'm here because I would like to see my sister even it's from afar."

  
A tinge of something... Maybe longing for her parents echoed in Akane from the older girl's candid words. 

  
"I miss her, simply," Sugai Ayaka admitted. Her eyes were glazed with fondness.

  
And that open affection didn't leave as she added, looking at her straight in the eyes, "It's nice to see her believe in something again. In _someone_."

  
* * *

Akane knelt down by the bed. She looked down at her trembling hands. She was told that for Sugai Yuuka, she hang the stars in the sky.

  
But Akane felt far from that as the slam of the front door echoed in her head...

  
...As the soft sob that escaped from Sugai before completely leaving her bedroom kept resounding deep within.

  
But most of all, she was disappointed with herself, of the loose grasp she had had of her emotions...

  
Sugai Yuuka was also her friend, and Akane let whatever forming between them get ruined by an ugly emotion she couldn't control.

  
What else should she feel though?

  
Akane and Makino Kanna were together for a long while, then after an afternoon of honest, long-overdue words, she was left alone. 

  
It wasn't easy not to be scared of it repeating.  
The empty hum of her house had never been more obvious until that night. She had gotten used to it, and usually, she didn't mind.

  
But that Saturday night, her house, particularly in her bedroom...

  
Her phone suddenly chimed beside her. It was her mother's ringtone.

  
She quickly answered it on its first ring. She wanted to focus on a sound, a voice...

  
Before the heavy emotions, the loneliness that had crashed over her right after Sugai left, could crush her further.

  
Her mother had immediately shared with her what she and her father had had for dinner, and that she was sure that Akane would also enjoy immensely. And Akane listened well, and reacted appropriately to certain parts of the story.

  
Akane had mentioned the previous night that she was going out for lunch with Sugai Yuuka, and she was teased for a while. But her parents generally left her alone the whole day.

  
And she could tell that her parents were waiting excitedly for the recap of her day with Sugai Yuuka.

  
So she did.

  
Akane told them where they had lunch, how much Sugai had enjoyed the burgers, the few stores they checked out, until the dinner that Sugai had prepared for them. She also shared with her mother the recipe of the carbonara pasta Sugai had learned.

  
What she had told her parents, they all happened. They were real.

  
But Akane sounded fake to her own ears. 

  
She had no heart to recount what had happened in her bedroom though, of why and how Sugai had left...

  
But her parents had listened well to everything, amused and relieved, and obviously happy for her. She was glad that they were...

  
"Akane, is everything alright?"

...While Akane was breaking apart inside. The half-lies and pretending just chipped more at the hollow echo in her chest.

"When can I see you?" She asked instead. If her voice shook, she didn't give a damn. She hadn't seen her parents in weeks. She just felt so alone. She wanted--needed...

"Your father and I couldn't make it home tomorrow to see you off," her mother said, already apologetic.

Akane closed her eyes shut, squeezing the pressure building behind them.

"We'll come instead to Osaka, to you..."

Akane leaned her forehead onto the edge of her bed. Tears had finally come free, and they streamed down her face. "Really?"

"You can stay at the hotel with us during your free time," her mother went on. Excitement, both giddy and contained, was clear in her voice. "We made it a point to book one near the tennis camp."

"And it's only a 10-minute walk, Akane," her father chimed in. He sounded proud of their choice.

"Is...Is that okay?" her mother asked, both careful of and anticipating her answer.

"Yes, of course." A watery laugh managed to escape from her.

"We're looking forward to seeing you again."

 _"I'm looking forward to it, then."_ Sugai's voice echoed in her head, and Akane squeezed her eyes shut, and focused on the simple joy she was sharing with her parents.

  
"Me, too."

  
* * *

It was half past 10 in the evening when Akane had finished preparing for bed. She was physically tired from the walking, and from packing her bags. She was also emotionally spent from something she preferred not to wallow in. They would probably sneak up on her anyway when she was finally in bed, resting. She expected to be awake for two hours, keeping her guard up from thoughts and memories of a girl quietly sob--

  
Akane internally shook her head. She had been doing that since the phonecall with her parents had ended.

  
As she double-checked all the doors and the latches of the windows at the ground floor, she noticed again the empty hum of her house. 

  
And that Saturday night, she couldn't not mind it. A dull throb in her chest made her pause in the middle of the dimly-lit living area.

  
She had wondered during their walk around town, how much would change between her and Sugai Yuuka after three weeks. Akane had to scoff at herself. The three weeks hadn't even started yet, and she and Sugai had already...

  
Another thud in her chest made her breathe out shakily, and her eyes, to sting again. And she was just so--

  
Three _soft_ knocks suddenly resounded from the front door.

  
Akane squared her shoulders in reflex. Her instinct was spiking up, already looking out for signs of danger. She immediately, but as cautiously as she could, went to the locked front door, and listened for more--

  
"Yuuka-sama, please, we should..." A hushed voice of a male--

  
It was Tanaka's, Akane was sure, and--

  
She unlatched the door without thinking twice.

  
And there was Sugai Yuuka, standing on her doorstep, breathing heavily. She was dressed in light pink pajamas under a long black coat. She was wearing bedroom slippers that were visibly dirty and dusty under the overhead lights... As if the other girl had walked around outside with them.

  
And seeing Tanaka panting behind Sugai, two meters away from them, maybe Sugai did. She might even had run.

  
She caught worry in Tanaka's usually-calm face, before she finally turned to the girl who...

  
Akane didn't expect to see Sugai Yuuka again, especially after what had happened between them, and Akane was swept with a mix of emotions she couldn't process yet.

  
There was an emotion that made her breathe catch in her throat, and her eyes to sting again.

  
There was another one that made her want to reach out, and grasp at the sleeves of Sugai's coat, and twist hard at the thick fabric. Akane wanted to overcome that as soon as she had felt it. She was too exhausted to endure it any longer.

  
There was also a rush of protectiveness when Akane saw Sugai's cheeks blotched with drying tears. She had an urge to tuck back Sugai's loose hair away from her face, and wipe the tear stains on the apples of Sugai's cheeks with her thumbs... But her hands were frozen on her sides.

  
Worry was another one she could recognize, and Akane went with that. But before she could ask what had happened, Sugai Yuuka...

  
"Can I..."

  
It was only the beginning of a request, but Akane found herself ready for whatever Sugai would ask of her. Without question. Without any more doubts.

  
"Can I stay here for the night?" Sugai asked. Her voice was small, and... "Please, I... Just for tonight?"

  
And Akane didn't need to hear more, for she had opened the door wider without another thought. She caught the way Tanaka's shoulders sagged in relief, but his face stayed grim as he waited for his charge to fully get inside. She also caught the way Sugai had breathed in shakily as the girl moved inside, past her.

  
Tanaka's bow was low as Akane completely closed the door behind her.

* * *

They were silent. It wasn't awkward. It was heavy instead, and Akane wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

  
They had moved around each other wordlessly as they prepared for bed. Akane had led Sugai to the bathroom with a fresh pair of pajama pants and towel. Then she left Sugai to wash up while she got out the thickest futon from storage, and unrolled it on the floor right beside her bed. She replaced the pillowcase of one of her own pillows with a fresh one, and placed it on the futon.

  
When Akane returned to her bedroom from getting a glass of water from the kitchen, Sugai was already curled up under the blankets, with her back to Akane. The girl's black coat and pajama pants were folded neatly on a chair beside the door. Sugai's phone was placed on top of her clothes.

  
Akane stayed by the door, a little lost on what to do. Her emotions were no longer a mess inside of her. She was still worried, but relief was stronger. At least, her friend... Sugai Yuuka was already resting.

  
She quietly padded over to the bedside table, placed the glass of water beside her own. She turned on her night light, and gave one last check around her bedroom before she decided to head for bed as well.

  
It was after she had just turned off the lights when she noticed the glow of Sugai's phone. She turned it upside down, and saw 'Oneechan Calling...' on the small screen.

  
She decided to answer the call, and as soon as she did...

  
"Yuuka, _oneechan_ is sorry," Sugai Ayaka said, apologetic. "Come back home?"

  
Akane gripped Sugai's phone tighter, a little surprised. She gave one long look at the figure still curled up on the futon beside her bed. The girl hadn't moved an inch. Then she quietly went out of her bedroom, and towards the other end of the hall before she greeted the young woman. "Good evening."

  
There was a shuffle at the other end of the line. "Moriya-san?"

  
"Yuuka is here... At my house," Akane said through the forming tightness in her throat. "I just want to let you know... That's why I answered your call."

  
"Is she... Is she okay?" The older Sugai asked, a little hesitant. "I--I've said some things to her..."

  
Akane suddenly wanted to cry. She had said some things, too. Even if she believed she had a reason to, she had let emotions reign over her empathy, over her patience, and had hurt a friend.

  
"She's feeling better, I think." And Akane wanted to also believe that to be true.

  
There was a sigh of relief at the other end. But worry was still evident as Yuuka's sister asked, "Can you... Will you send her back home?"

  
Akane's chest tightened. Her reply was an immediate, "No, I won't..."

  
It was something she should probably think twice about before denying a request from the sister like that. Or maybe she should've asked Sugai Yuuka first.

  
But as she remembered the visible tension on Yuuka's back, Akane found that she just couldn't do what was being asked of her.  
She added in a quiet but sure voice, "Yuuka probably has a valid reason to take some time away from home." 

  
Akane and Sugai Yuuka had a fight...an intense moment, and she wasn't sure how deep the pain Yuuka was feeling, for the girl to still come back to her even after all that.

That anywhere was better than home. That the possibility of being rejected and sent away by her was better than being at home.

  
And it sent a hollow feeling in her chest, as if loneliness had carved a wider space for itself in there.

  
"There's no need to worry," she assured the older Sugai, with the promise that her younger sister would be back the next morning.

  
"She's safe here..." Akane held back the words 'with me,' but she guessed that Sugai Ayaka would also see it that way anyway. 

* * *

Just like what Akane had foreseen, sleep wouldn't come soon.

  
The silence was a little deafening, but that night, Akane preferred it over any emotionally-charged scenarios from earlier that day.

  
Sugai Yuuka was still and silent on the futon next to her bed. Akane couldn't tell if the girl had already fallen asleep or not.

  
Akane breathed in carefully, avoiding the catch in her throat when she breathed in too deeply. Memories from the last time Sugai had been in her bedroom with her brought back something a little heavy in her chest.

  
Sugai Yuuka _and_ Habu Mizuho.

  
How real were the two of them? Real enough for Sugai's gestures towards Akane to be insignificant? 

  
Akane shifted on the bed, hugging a pillow tighter to her chest. She was hurt, if she was being honest with herself, if she would admit that to herself. She also had felt a little stupid. There were signs between Sugai and Habu. Apparently, not clear enough for Akane to see.

  
The tension between her and Sugai Yuuka, she had felt it a lot of times. Every time Sugai held her hand, touched her arm. The affection that she had seen clearly on Sugai Yuuka's eyes, as the girl watched her, every time Sugai would look at her... Akane wasn't blind, and she would sometimes search Sugai's eyes just to see it again. Just to feel a bit like there was someone able to see her closely, someone who wanted to know her.

  
Akane didn't entertain the 'implications' or the probability of becoming more, of taking that next step, but her walls weren't high enough for her not to feel it.

  
Apparently, they were all in her head. She had misread each and every thing that had made her feel seen and not so alone.

  
Akane quickly brought her pillow upwards, and pressed it onto her face, in time as a sob had suddenly escaped from her. The pillow was able to muffle the following sounds, the sniffling. Gradually but not easily, Akane was able to push the tears back down, and stop an onslaught of a heavier emotion she didn't want to show anyone, especially with Sugai on the futon next to her bed.

  
When she removed the pillow off of her face, she was calmer, and also more tired. Maybe sleep would claim her then, and--

  
There was a rustle of clothes beside her.

Akane turned her head, and saw Sugai Yuuka sitting up. Her back was still to her. The night light shone on the girl's hair which covered Akane's view of Sugai's face.

  
"There's water on the table if you need it," Akane mentioned. Her voice came out more hollow than she intended. But then again, she didn't know what to do anymore apart from offer water to a...friend sleeping over.

  
Sugai's voice was small as she thanked her. Then she proceeded to reach for one of the more full glasses of water on her nightstand, and had a sip. Or two. Akane didn't know. She had averted her eyes, and stared out the window. The sky was lit with stars.

  
_"You hang the stars in the sky, Moriya-san. For Yuuka-sama, you do."_

  
Akane squeezed her eyes shut, internally shaking the memory away. 'Just friends' shouldn't think about each other that way. Sugai should _stop_ seeing her that way.

  
Sugai remained sitting on the futon, leaning back against Akane's bed. She was looking at the direction of her things by the door.

  
And Akane found herself...

  
The rustling as Akane pulled the sheets aside made Sugai turn to her. Akane patted the freed space on the bed next to her.

  
Her wish to offer comfort to Sugai outweighed what had happened between them earlier that night, if what Akane let happen between them was bound to backfire in the future, if Akane ended up hurting more than how she had already hurt in the past...

  
...Akane didn't care that night.

  
Sugai's eyes searched hers under the soft glow of her night light. And Akane let her. Their eye contact didn't break until Sugai decided to take her offer, and climbed in.

  
Akane remained lying flat on her back. She stared out the window again as Sugai settled beside her. She planned on waiting for sleep to come. Sugai could do whatever she wanted, talk, go to sleep as well...just... As long as Sugai wasn't wallowing in sad thoughts anymore, as long as Sugai didn't take heavy feelings to bed, it was good enough for Akane.

  
But when Sugai turned to her side, and faced Akane again... The girl's fingers curled into the sleeve of Akane's loose sleepshirt, not exactly touching, but an indirect touch she could still feel in her bones... Akane wasn't sure about anything anymore.

"The Habus and my family go way back. Our families have been friends for a long time. I have only met Habu-chan this year but our fathers grew up together here in Miyagi," Sugai started carefully. Her voice was low, and tentative. "And when they booked a vacation to Hokkaido, it was almost like a given that I go, too."

Sugai lowered her head, and whispered, "You were under no obligation to text me while I was away. It was wrong of me to expect that. I also didn't mean to disappear on you and Mii-chan."

Akane's lower lip trembled. She was feeling vulnerable and unsure of a lot of things. She wasn't the one who had ran away in the late night, and yet she...

"What's happening, Sugai-san?" She couldn't help but ask. She didn't know what she wanted to know exactly, but she would appreciate any form of clarity from the other girl. The trip to Hokkaido was one thing, but Sugai's explanation couldn't cover half the source of Akane's doubts.

"Things at home aren't that good right now. My family, we... We don't really agree on what's best for everyone, and we end up hurting, or causing the hurt ourselves." Sugai breathed out shakily. "But I'm trying to do well here, even if I'm alone."

Akane couldn't stop the pressure building at the back of her eyes. She turned towards Sugai, just in time for the other girl to shift closer. Sugai ended up leaning her forehead against Akane's shoulder, her fingers twisting on the fabric of Akane's sleeve tighter.

And Akane let her. She didn't move away.

Sugai's voice had gone more softly, almost like a whisper, "Liking _you_ makes me forget, that loneliness that keeps me in my bed."

Akane breathed out shakily. Sugai's words had caused a wave of tender warmth in her chest. 

"I like you. Not Habu-chan. Not Maki-san. _You._ I like _you_."

Akane closed her eyes, and let Sugai's words...confession wrap her in something she didn't expect to feel again. She had missed it terribly.

"Is it okay? Is it okay to keep liking you?"

Maybe it was the proximity or the warmth emanating between them, but whatever it was, it was drawing Akane closer. Maybe Sugai needed comfort.

 _Maybe_ Akane needed the same thing...

"You don't need to like me back," Sugai added, again considering Akane's feelings and choice above her own. "I won't hold it against you if we go back to not going to cafes together, or if we don't spend time together anymore."

Akane didn't know what she was open to give, willing to share... But as Sugai breathed out without shaking, as if she what she had confessed to her, had brought her something light, something weightless.

"Just--just... I don't want to go back to not knowing you."

"Okay..." Akane found herself breathing out as well, freely, with less of the heaviness from earlier... maybe with the same lightness, same weightless _thing_... 

  
"I just... Knowing that you exist near me, I just..."

"Okay..."

  
"It's more than enough for me."

"Okay..."

* * *

Sugai Yuuka was able to leave the house before the break of dawn without waking her up.

  
Akane woke up seven minutes before her alarm. From her bed, she could see that Yuuka's dark green jacket was no longer on her desk.

It was neatly folded, and placed on top of her travel bag...

  
...Right beside her own red tennis jacket.

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmn, I dislike writing fluff, and fluff hates me back, but I hope the readers appreciate what had come out of this struggle. I also unconsciously had taken my time with this. I even wondered why I was taking longer to finish. And when I checked the word count, I found that this chap had already hit 20k. It has gone over twice my usual 9-10k words. (My record was 40k for a single fic update, but that was a long time ago and for a different intense level of angst and romance.) But yeah, I hope you enjoyed reading this.

**Author's Note:**

> Uhmm, hello! Although this is my first time using and posting in AO3, I'm not new to writing fanfiction. My published story before this was from three years or so ago, and that had been a saga, and a journey to finish. Since then, it has been years of writing but not posting anything. So I was a bit hesitant sharing another story again after my previous fanfic, one that I consider the most of what could be squeezed out of me. 
> 
> But most of us are in quarantine or in lockdown, and it's a trying time. And since reading fanfiction had been a refuge of mine, I hope my stories could also offer comfort to others. Thank you for reading! Take care, and stay strong!
> 
> twitter: thori_treads


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